THE 
vSOUTH 
AFRICAN 
FRONTIER 


WILLIAM 
HARVEY 
BROWN 


<  tut  »tol09itw  s 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.  *^ 


Purchased  by  the  Hamill  Missionary  Fund. 


Division 
Section 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN 
FRONTIER 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arcliive 
in  2015 


littps://arcliive.org/details/onsoutliafricanfrOObrow 


Instinctively  I  pulled  the  triiiger  of  tlie  revolver,  and  discharged  three  shots 
so  quickly  as  to  spoil  the  ami  of  my  assailant." 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN 
FRONTIER 

THE  ADVENTURES  AND  OBSERl^ATIONS  OF  AN 
AMERICAN  IN  MASHONALAND  AND 
MATABELELAND 

WILLIAM  HARVEY  BROWN 


mTH  ILLUSTRATIOhlS  AND  MAPS 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S 
1899 


SONS 


Copyright,  1899,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


TROW  OlRECTORr 
PRINTINQ  AND  BOOKBINOINO  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED  TO 
MY  WIFE 

WHOSE  SYMPATHY,  GOOD  JUDGMENT 
AND  HELPFUL  CRITICISM 
HAVE  BEEN  A  CONSTANT  SOURCE 
OF  INSPIRATION 


PREFACE 


This  work  is  a  narrative  of  the  author's  experi- 
ences and  observations,  partly  as  naturalist  of  an 
expedition  sent  by  the  United  States  Government  in 
1889  to  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  but  mainly  as  collec- 
tor, big-game  hunter,  gold  seeker,  landowner,  citizen, 
and  soldier,  during  seven  years'  participation  in  the 
settlement  and  early  development  of  Rhodesia.  It 
treats  variedly  of  travel,  collecting,  hunting,  pros- 
pecting, farming,  scouting,  fighting.  It  throws  a  few 
side-lights  on  pioneer  life.  Two  chapters  are  devoted 
to  ethnology.  The  race  problems  which  arise  during 
the  stage  of  transition  from  barbarism  to  civilization 
are  discussed  to  some  extent,  as  well  as  the  agricult- 
ural and  mineral  resources  of  Rhodesia,  and  the  pos- 
sibilities of  that  region  as  a  future  field  for  immi- 
gration and  commercial  enterprise. 

The  book  had  its  origin  principally  in  a  desire  to 
give  to  my  fellow-countrymen  in  America  a  clearer 
idea  than  it  has  been  possible  to  glean  from  fragmen- 
tary accounts,  appearing  from  time  to  time,  of  the 
events  which  have  taken  place  during  the  past  nine 
years  in  connection  with  Anglo-Saxon  conquest  and 
colonization  on  the  South  African  frontier. 

People  in  the  United  Kingdom  and  the  British 
colonies  are  so  well  provided  by  their  countrymen 

vii 


viii 


PREFACE 


with  literature  bearing  upon  the  various  phases  of 
E-hodesian  progress  that  not  a  few  of  these  facts 
will  be  to  them,  no  doubt,  commonplace  knowledge. 
If  from  this  recital,  embracing,  as  it  does,  the  vari- 
ous epochs  of  the  country's  development  from  its 
founding  to  the  present  day.  Englishmen  are  able  to 
learn  anything  which  may  accrue  to  a  better  under- 
standing of  the  needs  and  possibilities  of  Rhodesia, 
which  next  to  the  land  of  my  nativity  is  dearer  to  me 
than  all  other  parts  of  the  earth,  I  shall  feel  doubly 
compensated  for  my  efforts. 

It  may  possibly  be  of  interest  to  the  reader  to  know 
that  my  career  as  collector  and  sportsman  began  with 
my  matriculation  in  the  University  of  Kansas,  in  Dr. 
F.  H.  Snow's  department  of  zoology.  Under  the  aus- 
pices of  that  gentleman  I  was  sent,  during  college 
vacations,  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  company  with 
Professor  Lewis  Lindsay  Dyche,  who,  in  his  Camp- 
fires  of  a  Naturalist^  has  recorded  some  of  my  expe- 
riences in  chasing  butterflies  and  in  preserving  the 
skins  of  grizzly  bears  and  deer. 

The  particular  circumstance  which  made  possible 
this  volume,  however,  was  my  good  fortune,  while  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  during  the  summer  of  1886,  in 
making  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  W.  T.  Hornaday, 
now  Director  of  the  New  York  Zoological  Society's 
Garden  at  Bronx  Park.  Mr.  Hornaday  is  also  the 
author  of  several  books,  the  best  known  of  which  are 
Two  Years  in  the  Jungle  and  Taxidermy  and  Zoologi- 
cal Collecting.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  I  joined 
him  in  an  expedition  sent  by  the  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion to  Montana  to  secure  some  skins  and  skeletons  of 


PREFACE 


ix 


the  fast  vanishing  American  bison,  and  on  that  trip  I 
learned  the  latest  methods  of  preserving  specimens 
of  various  kinds.  When,  subsequently,  Mr.  Horna- 
day  was  asked  to  recommend  a  collector  to  accom- 
pany a  government  expedition  to  Africa,  it  fell  to  my 
lot  to  be  named  by  him.  Upon  my  return  to  this 
country,  after  an  absence  of  eight  years,  it  was  at  his 
suggestion  and  through  his  warm  encouragement  that 
I  was  induced  to  undertake  the  writing  of  this  book, 
until  then  wholly  unpremeditated.  For  the  many 
kindnesses  received  at  the  hands  of  this  worthy  man 
of  science  and  for  the  friendly  interest  that  he  has 
taken  in  my  career,  I  choose  this  opportunity  to  ex- 
press my  heartfelt  gratitude. 

To  my  honored  friend,  the  Chancellor  of  the  West- 
ern University  of  Pennsylvania,  Dr.  W.  J.  Holland, 
whom  I  succeeded  as  Naturalist  of  the  Eclipse  Ex- 
pedition, I  am  likewise  indebted  for  many  favors. 
That  we  were  unfortunately  deprived  by  fate  of  the 
pleasure  of  his  genial  companionship  during  our  in- 
teresting sojourn  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  will 
always  remain  a  source  of  deep  regret. 

In  further  connection  with  the  production  of  this 
book,  my  thanks  are  due  to  another  esteemed  friend, 
Mr.  B.  W.  Woodward,  art  and  literary  critic,  for 
valuable  suggestions  ;  also  to  Mr.  J.  F.  Jones,  of  Lon- 
don, for  material  from  which  to  construct  suitable 
maps  ;  and  to  Dr.  H.  S.  Davis  for  useful  data.  I 
wish  especially  to  call  the  reader's  attention  to  the 
fact  that  most  of  the  excellent  photographs  repro- 
duced herein  were  taken  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Orr,  of  Chicago, 
who  generously  placed  at  my  disposal  his  unique  col- 


PKEFACE 


lection  of  African  pictures  procured  by  him  while 
Anthropologist  of  the  Eclipse  Expedition  and  while 
participating  for  two  years  in  the  events  connected 
with  the  founding  of  Rhodesia.  I  take  this  occasion 
to  thank  him  for  assistance  thus  rendered,  as  likewise 
the  artists  Mr.  J.  Carter  Beard  and  Mr.  Charles  Brad- 
ford Hudson  for  their  spirited  paintings  of  scenes  de- 
scribed in  the  text. 

Following  the  method  usually  adopted  in  books  of 
travel,  I  have  for  convenience  and  variety  spoken  of 
the  native  inhabitants  of  Rhodesia  indiscriminately  as 
savages  and  barbarians.  As  these  people  have  organ- 
ized society,  possess  domesticated  animals,  practise 
rude  agriculture,  and  work  in  iron,  they  are  ethno- 
logically  in  the  stage  of  middle  barbarism,  and  hence, 
technically,  barbarians. 

I  cannot  close  without  reference  to  the  mingled 
pleasure  and  sorrow  that  the  writing  of  this  narrative 
has  given  me — pleasure  in  reviewing  an  existence  that 
is  the  highest  delight  of  a  healthy  young  man,  sorrow 
in  the  memory  of  the  sad  and  tragic  fate  of  scores 
of  frontier  friends  and  companions  whose  lives  have 
'  been  sacrificed  to  the  onward  march  of  modern  civili- 
zation. 

William  Harvey  Brown. 

February  2,  1899. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  WEST  COAST  OF  AFRICA 

An  Opportunity  to  Visit  tlie  Dark  Continent — Preparations  for  the  Journey 
— On  Board  a  Man-of-War— We  Enter  the  Estuary  of  the  Sierra  Leone 
—Free  Town  and  its  Inhabitants — A  Day  Ashore— In  the  Gulf  of  Guinea 
— Saint  Paul  de  Loanda,  Page  i 


CHAPTER  II 

FROM  SAINT  PAUL  DE  LOANDA  TO  CUNGA 

We  Plan  to  Spend  a  Month  on  Shore — Our  Quarters  at  the  American  Mis- 
sion— A  Railway  Journey — Native  Laborers  at  the  Cacoaco  Salt  Works 
— A  Captive  Crocodile  at  Quifandongo — Our  First  Trials  in  an  African 
Wilderness — We  Take  up  our  Abode  in  a  Trader's  House  on  the  Coanza 
River,  and  Begin  Preserving  Specimens  of  Natural  History — Kru-boy 
Servants — Tormented  by  the  Nocturnal  Waitings  of  Native  Mourners — 
The  Kasamas,  Page  lo 


CHAPTER  III 

A  FORTNIGHT  ON  THE  COANZA  RIVER 

The  Natives  Exchange  Specimens  for  Yankee  Notions  " — The  Cunga  In- 
habitants Crave  Liquor— A  Dusky  Flirtation — Portuguese  Cruelty — 
Clancy  Shoots  One  of  Senhor  Rebella's  Pigs — The  Eclipse — A  Hippo- 
potamus Hunt— The  Sailors  Play  a  Practical  Joke  on  the  Aborigines — 
A  Woman  Killed  by  a  Crocodile — Reptiles  Robbed  of  a  Feast — Some 
Funeral  Customs,  Page  2j 


xii 


CONTEXTS 


CHAPTER  IV 

CAPE  TOWN  AND  BRITISH  COLONIAL  EXPANSION 

Two  Varieties  of  African  Fever— Arrival  at  Cape  Town— A  Trip  to  the 
Top  of  Table  Mountain— Malays— Hideous  Howling  of  a  Hottentot— 
A  Unique  Method  of  Fishing— We  Hear  that  Ophir  has  been  Redis- 
covered—Boundaries of  the  New  Land — The  "  Rudd-Rhodes  Conces- 
sion," and  the  Formation  of  the  British  South  Africa  Company — Two 
Members  of  the  Eclipse  Party  Join  the  Pioneer  Expedition,   .   Page  jj 

CHAPTER  V 

FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 

Conditions  of  Enlistment  in  the  Pioneer  Corps — The  Start — Crossing  the 
Karroo— Beyond  the  Orange  River— Arrival  at  Kimberley— "  Roughing 
it  "  on  Rhodes's  Farm — The  Diamond  Mines — We  Set  Out  for  Maf eking 
— Drollery  of  the  Bluejackets— Discomforts  of  Soldiering — Travelling 
by  Ox  Wagons — Hunting  Springbuck  Antelope — The  Country  and  its 
Farms— African  Method  of  Branding  Cattle— Taungs— A  Walking  Match 
with  Herbert— Mafeking,  Page  48 

CHAPTER  VI 

FROM  MAFEKING  TO  THE  TULI  RIVER 

The  Johannesburg  Contingent — Pioneer  Drudgery — Rations,  Equipment, 
and  Organization—"  Sing-songs" — A  Game  of  Hare  and  Hounds — The 
Journey  Continued— Along  the  Crocodile  River— Skirmish  Drills— 
Baines's  Camp  on  the  Macloutsie  River— Evolution  of  the  Nickname 
"  Curio  "— Major-General  Methuen  Inspects  the  Pioneer  Corps — Sham 
Battles — Laager — On  the  Line  of  March — Fort  Tuli — Diplomatic  Nego- 
tiations with  Lo  Bengula  Page  64 

CHAPTER  VII 

CUTTING  A  ROAD  THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS 

B  Troop  Crosses  the  Tuli  River  and  Begms  Cutting  the  Road— Captain 
Selous  Interviews  Makalaka  Natives — A  Banyai  Settlement— The  Main 
Column  Overtakes  B  Troop— More  Diplomacy  with  Lo  Bengula— Prep- 


CONTENTS 


xiii 


arations  for  a  Possible  Attack  of  Matabeles — "Horse  Sickness"— 
View  from  the  Top  of  Sugar-Loaf  Mountain — Fording  the  Lundi  River 
—Skinning  a  Hippopotamus— Inconvenient  Sanctimoniousness  of  Ba- 
mangwatos— The  Matabeles  Threaten  to  "  Wipe  us  Out  "—An  Interest- 
ing Scouting  Trip — A  False  Alarm— More  Scouting,     .   .   .   Page  79 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CROSSING  THE  MASHONALAND  PLATEAU 

The  Column  Treks  to  the  Open  Plateau— Young  Cheetahs— An  Attempt 
to  Secure  the  Mother  Cheetah — Game-Pits— Appearance  of  the  Veld — 
The  Approach  of  Spring— Chasing  Sable  Antelope— Fort  Charter- 
Former  Matabele  Depredations  Between  the  Umfuli  and  Hanyani  Rivers 
— The  End  of  the  Journey  and  the  Founding  of  a  New  Prov- 
ince,  Pcigf  ioi 


CHAPTER  IX 

BIG  GAME  AND  THE  RUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS 

Equipped  for  Hunting  Big  Game — Mount  Hampden  and  the  Gwibi  Flats — 
"The  Greatest  Show  on  Earth" — Hunting  Tsessebe  Antelope— Slater 
Finds  Traces  of  Gold— Arsenic  and  Alum  for  a  Wagon-Load  of  Pump- 
kins—We Return  in  Haste  to  the  Laager— The  Fort  Completed,  and  the 
Pioneers  Disbanded — The  British  South  Africa  Company  Issues  Claim 
Licenses— The  Pioneers  Rush  to  the  Gold-Fields— We  Set  Out  for  Hart- 
ley Hills— Stalking  Waterbuck— Visited  by  "Laughing"  Hyenas— The 
Hunter's  Paradise,  Page  j  13 


CHAPTER  X 

MORE  BIG  GAME  HUNTING 

A  Message  from  Lo  Bengula— Preparing  Shelter  and  Food  for  the  Rainy 
Season— The  Bluejackets  as  Bullock  Drivers— We  Exchange  Meat  for 
Native  Products  and  Ethnological  Specimens— The  Vitality  of  Large 
Game— A  Trip  to  Guidzema— Prehistoric  Gold-Mining— Serenaded  by 
Lions— My  Native  Servants  Attempt  to  Give  Me  the  Slip,  but  Fail 
— Christofison's  Night  with  Lions—*'  Vot  Goot  it  Make  Dot  I  vas 
Prave  ?"  Page  i)o 


xiv 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS 

The  Rainy  Season  at  its  Worst— The  Mining  Outlook— A  Serious  Attack 
of  Gold  Fever— " Thomas  Jefferson's"  Father  Leads  us  to  a  Fine 
"  Magodi " — We  Decide  that  it  is  an  Old  Paint-Mine— Some  Hunting, 
by  Way  of  Variety — The  Natives  Reveal  Another  Ancient  Gold-Mine 
—We  go  Farther  Afield,  and  Discaver  Acres  of  Old  Workings— Lions, 
the  Umsweswi  River,  Crocodiles,  and  *'  Honey  Birds  "—Mr.  John 
Hawes  Offers  the  Benefit  of  his  Knowledge  of  Gold-Mining—"  Oh  for 
the  Power  of  Supernatural  Vision  "—We  Visit  the  Eiffel  District— A 
Terrible  Night  in  the  Jungle— Hardships  at  Hartley— A  Barefooted 
Trip  to  Salisbury— Malarial  Fever  and  "  Rand's  Kicker,"  .   .   Page  140 

CHAPTER  XII 

SOME  HISTORIC  EVENTS 

A  Veritable  City  of  Tents  and  Wagons— Hardship,  Privation,  and  Death 
— The  "  Stand-Pegging  "  Craze — Clash  with  the  Portuguese  over  Urn- 
tali — Activity  Begins  at  Fort  Salisbury — An  Unreliable  Gun — Some 
Results  from  a  Reliable  One — Journey  to  the  "  Fly  Country  " — Game 
in  the  Eiffel  District — Wild  Dogs — American  Experts  Examine  Gold- 
Mines — The  Town  of  Salisbury  is  Surveyed  and  Established — All  the 
Surrounding  Land  is  Staked  in  Farms— Mr.  Rhodes  Visits  Mashonaland 
— Reaction  and  Exodus — Dr.  Jameson  Becomes  Administrator — Organi- 
zation of  the  Mashonaland  Horse,  Page  161 

CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  SEAMY  SIDE  OF  LIFE  AT  HARTLEY 

A  Journey  to  Hartley— The  New  Township— Matabele  Rascality— A  Buffalo 
Hunt — The  Aborigines  and  Malarial  Fever— A  Drinking  Bout  at  Hart- 
ley—" Rats  "—Marshall  Sees  Spiders— Liquor  Versus  Malarial  Mi- 
crobes,  Page  ij8 

CHAPTER  XIV 
DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS 


A  Tramp  to  Machia-ngombe's— Native  Clearings— Men  and  Women  Trudge 
Homeward  from  the  Fields— Machia-ngombe's  Villages— A  CordiaJ 


CONTENTS 


XV 


Reception — An  Invitation  to  Dine — Attire  and  Personal  Appearance  of 
my  Hostesses— A  Mashona  Hut  and  its  Furnishings— The  Dinner- 
Matrimonial  Gossip — Makombo  Returns  from  Marketing — A  Night- 
Long  Dance,  .    ,  Page  189 


CHAPTER  XV 

MASHONA  CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS 

Purchasing  Ethnological  Specimens — A  Primitive  Method  of  Greeting — 
Marriage  Customs— Charms,  Fetiches,  and  Witchcraft— A  Witch- 
Doctor's  Ceremonies— A  Mashona  Practitioner  and  His  Kit— Burial 
Customs—"  Dead  Relative  "  Dances— A  Description  of  One — On  the 
Wings  of  Ecstasy— A  Mashona's  Idea  of  the  Movements  of  the  Sun— 
A  Lunar  Controversy,  Page  207 


CHAPTER  XVI 

SIX  WEEKS'  SPORT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  RIVER 

Journey  to  a  New  Hunting  Field— The  Rev.  Isaac  Shimmin  and  His  Lion 
Adventure — Two  Cockney  Prospectors  Kill  a  "  Rhinostrich  "—My 
First  Rhinoceros— An  Invitation  to  Hunt  with  the  Eyres — "  Ally  Sloper  " 
—Hunting  on  Lemon  Creek— We  Chase  Lions— Arthur  Eyre  Kills  a 
White  Rhinoceros— En  Route  for  Dichwe— A  Big  Eland  Herd— A  Prize 
Buffalo- Hobnobbing  with  Tipsy  Matabeles— Remains  of  an  Ancient 
Fort  on  the  Angwa  River — Tracking  a  Wounded  Koodoo — Lions 
Parade  about  our  Camp— A  Day  with  Buffaloes- Return  to  Salisbury 
—A  Town-Site  War,  Page  222 


CHAPTER  XVII 

LAW  AND  ORDER  IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS 

A  Visit  at  Bululu's — The  Chief  Caught  in  a  Lie— Threatened  by  Savages- 
Nerve  Versus  Numbers — The  Field-Cornet  Intervenes — At  the  Magis- 
trate's Court— The  Community  Disgusted  with  the  Result  of  the  Trial 
—A  Smoking  Concert  Follows— Dr.  Jameson  Speaks— Charley  Kettels 
Gives  Vent  to  His  Wrath— An  Attempt  to  Arrest  Wambe— An  •  Un- 
expected Fusillade — An  Uncomfortable  Night — A  Triple  Murder — 
The  Capture — An  Attempted  Lynching — Dr.  Jameson  Quiets  the  Mob 
— Zulu  Jim  is  Hanged,   Page  241 


xvi 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

RHODESIA  BEFORE  THE  OCCUPATION 

Prehistoric  Mines— Ancient  Ruins— An  Untenable  Theory— The  Anialosa— 
An  Interesting  Legend— Early  Portuguese  Exploration— Mashona  Oc- 
cupation—Origin of  the  Name  Mashona— History  of  the  Matabeles— 
Mr.  Thomas  Baines's  Negotiations  with  Lo  Bengula— Mr.  Carl  Mauch 
Gives  Enthusiastic  Account  of  Ancient  Mines— The  British  South 
Africa  Company  Takes  Possession— Unfriendly  Attitude  of  Matabele 
Warriors,  Page  2 56 


CHAPTER  XIX 

BEGINNING  OF  THE  MATABELE  TROUBLES 

Marauding  Matabeles  Visit  the  Victoria  District — The  Administrator  Hastens 
to  the  Seat  of  Trouble— The  Savages  Ordered  Across  the  Border— Their 
Departure  Forced  by  the  Settlers— The  Community  are  Determined  to 
have  War— Salisbury  Horse  Organized — Conspiracy  Foiled  by  Diplo- 
macy— Arrangements  for  Campaign  Publicly  Announced — The  Mata- 
beles Defeated  at  Shangani  and  Bembesi — The  Wilson  Disaster — New 
Era  of  Civilization,  Page  266 


CHAPTER  XX 

TCHININGA  ATTEMPTS  TO  WIPE  US  OUT 

Determine  to  Secure  a  White  Rhinoceros — A  Great  Week  Among  Buffaloes 
— Visit  Tchininga's  Village — Fired  Upon  by  Matabele  Spies — Left  to 
Meet  the  Enemy  Alone — A  Case  of  Kill  or  be  Killed — An  Invitation  to 
Assist  in  the  Capture  of  Thieves— In  Foul-smelling  Caves,  .   Page  277 


CHAPTER  XXI 

A  TRIP  TO  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN 

The  Baker  Celebrates  Christmas  Day — An  Experiment  at  Ranching — Our 
Journey  Begins— Beautiful  Scenery— We  Reach  Umtali— A  Unique  Coffin 
—Descent  from  the  Plateau—"  The  Deacon  of  Hong  Kong  "—An  Im- 
penetrable Forest — The  Beira  Railway — Game  on  the  Pungwe  Flats— 
The  Venice  of  South  Africa— New  Ophir,  Page  289 


CONTENTS 


xvii 


CHAPTER  XXII 

RHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTURAL  COUNTRY 

A  Change  of  Vocation — An  Amateur  Attempt  at  Bullock  Driving — Razing 
Timber — Some  Eccentric  Mounts — Land  Fever — Malarial  Fever — Agri- 
cultural Possibilities — Fruits — Timber — Kinds  of  Soil — Comparative 
Situation  of  Salisbury — Rainfall — The  Seasons — Cattle  Raising — Horse 
Sickness— The  Tsetse  Fly — Indigenous  Diseases— White  Ants— Borers — 
Locusts — Building  a  Home  in  the  Wilderness — Two  Years  of  Prosperity 
Succeeded  by  Pestilence  and  Massacre,  Page  30^ 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  MATABELE  REVOLT 

Causes  of  the  Uprising — The  Rhodesia  Horse  Start  for  Matabeleland — Mr. 
Rhodes  asked  to  be  a  "  Father"  to  the  Boers — Encounter  with  Savages 
at  Makalaka  Kop — The  Column  Arrives  at  Gwelo — Narrow  Escape  of 
the  Salisbury  Scouts,  Page  321 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

MORE  SKIRMISHES  WITH  THE  MATABELES 

An  Exciting  Battle  Expected — The  Column  Laagers  Near  the  Maven  Strong- 
hold— An  Advance  on  the  Enemy — Bullets  Fly  Too  Thickly  for  Com- 
fort— A  Novel  Way  of  Taking  Cover — Flight  of  the  Matabeles— A 
Patrol  Finds  Numerous  Remains  of  Murdered  White  Men — An  En- 
counter at  Manundwan's — Again  En  Route  for  Bulawayo — Callousness 
of  Savages — The  Langford  Tragedy — At  Bulawayo — A  Witch-Doctor 
Presages  an  Easy  Victory — The  Bullets  did  not  Turn  to  Water — A 
Modest  Adventure — News  of  the  Mashona  Rising,  ....  Page 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  MASHONA  RISING 

Maven  Kafirs  Execute  a  Counter-Move — An  Erroneous  Assumption — The 
Mashona  View  of  White  Occupation— First  Signs  of  Rebellion- 
Character  of  the  Blow — Darling's  Account  of  the  Escape  from 
Mazoe,  Page  ^46 


xviii 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

RETURN  TO  MASHONALAND 

The  Enkeldoorn  Boers  and  the  Rising— An  Adventure  at  Sejoke's  Kraal- 
Arrival  at  Salisbury— The  Jesuits  at  Chishawasha — Noble  Deed  of  a 
Black  Teacher — The  Rhodesia  Horse  Drive  the  Chishawasha  Natives 
from  Their  Stronghold— A  Midnight  Patrol— Chasing  Insolent  Savages 
—A  Close  Call— Forty  Days  in  the  Wilderness— The  Salisbury  Hos- 
pital— Difficulties  in  Subjugating  the  Mashonas — Captain  Montgom- 
ery Page  364 


.CHAPTER  XXVII 

POST-BELLUM  OBSERVATIONS 

Review  of  the  Rebellion  — The  Rising  not  the  Result  of  Oppression— Bar- 
barians must  be  Governed  from  the  Vantage  Ground  of  Superior  Force 
— Superstitious  Awe  is  soon  Lost — Murder  of  an  Englishman  in  Mazoe 
Valley  Provokes  Punishment  of  Natives — Captain  Lendy's  Chastise- 
ment of  N'Gomo's  People  is  Criticised  in  England — Lenient  Modes  of 
Treatment  Culminate  in  Massacre — Captain  Brabant  and  the  Victoria 
Natives — Lessons  that  the  Mashonas  must  Learn,  ....   Page  ^80 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  RACE  PROBLEM 

A  Primitive  Race  must  Serve  its  Conquerors  or  Perish — Advantages  of  the 
American  Negro  over  the  Native  African — The  Labor  Problem  in  Rho- 
desia— The  Rev.  Isaac  Shimmin's  Opinions— Father  Daignault  Advocates 
the  Exertion  of  State  Authority  over  Native  Laborers— The  Present 
Situation — Removal  of  Natives  to  Reservations— Mistaken  Dependence 
upon  Black  Labor,  and  its  Remedy — Race  Prejudice — Unless  Aborigines 
are  Taught  to  Work,  Contact  with  Civilization  Results  to  their  Detri- 
ment-Mission Work,  Page  ^go 


CONTENTS 


XIX 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

RHODESIA  TO-DAY 

The  Transformation  of  a  Wilderness— Sickness,  Pestilence,  and  Massacre, 
Factors  in  the  Settlement  of  a  New  Country— The  Advent  of  Women 
and  Children— Pastimes  Dear  to  the  British  Heart— Political  Agitation 
and  Mr.  Rhodes's  Visit— Government  of  Rhodesia— Central  Position— 
Gold-Producing  Capabilities — Agricultural  Resources  and  the  Land 
Question  — Coal  and  Iron,  one  Measure  of  the  Wealth  of  a  State — Rho- 
desia an  Attractive  Field  for  Commercial  Enterprise— England  as  a 
Colonizing  Power — The  Dark  Continent  the  Future  Scene  of  a  Promi- 
nent Part  of  the  World's  Drama,  Page  404 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"  Instinctively  I  pulled  the  trigger  of  the  revolver,  and  discharged  three 


shots  so  quickly  as  to  spoil  the  aim  of  my  assailant  "    .  Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

A  Quiet  Nook  in  Free  Town  4 

A  Street  in  St.  Paul  de  Loanda  10 

Our  Quarters  on  the  Coanza  River  20 

A  Group  of  M'Bundu  Lads  34 

The  Docks  at  Cape  Town  42 

Open  Workings  of  the  Kimberley  Diamond  Mine  in  1890       .      .  52 

Artillery  Troop  of  the  Pioneers  66 

Sugar-loaf  Mountain  88 

Laagered  on  the  Plateau,  Mashona  Natives  in  the  Foreground  .  .  102 
"  It  was  like  Africa  in  the  days  of  Livingstone  "      .      .      .  .114 

From  a  painting  by  J.  Carter  Beard 

Hartley  Hills  Shortly  After  the  Occupation  130 

A  Party  of  Pioneers  and  Prospectors  Leaving  Hartley  for  a  Neigh- 
boring Gold-field  144 

The  First  Auction  on  Pioneer  Street  162 

One  of  the  First  Houses  Built  in  Salisbury  174 

An  Early-day  Mining  Camp  at  Hartley,  Near  the  Junction  of  the 

Zimbo  River  with  the  Umfuli  184 

Mashona  Huts  and  Grain-bins  194 

The  People  who  Danced  all  Night  206 

A  Mashona  Kraal   .      .  216 

xxi 


xxii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

One  can  kill  his  first  rhinoceros  but  once "  226 

From  a  painting  by  J.  Carter  Beard 

Zimbabwe  Ruins,  Near  Victoria  258 

Ancient  Tower  at  Zimbabwe  276 

A  Bit  of  Mashonaland  Scenery  292 

Arhngton  Heights,  Near  Salisbury,  in  1895    318 

The  Retreat  of  the  Salisbury  Scouts  332 

The  Rhodesia  Horse  Encounter  the  Matabeles  338 

Mashonaland  Volunteers  on  Dress  Parade  at  Salisbury       .      .      .  350 

The  Survivors  of  the  Mazoe  Patrol  362 

A  Mashona  Cave  Fortress  370 

The  Salisbury  Jail  Converted  into  a  Fort  382 

Three  Types  of  Laborers  396 

The  Ideal  "  and  "  The  Real  "  4iO 

MAPS 

Sketch  Map  of  Southern  Rhodesia  .  .  .  ,  At  end  of  volume 
Africa,  South  of  the  Equator  «      «  u 


ON  THE 
SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


CHAPTER  I 


THE  WEST  COAST  OF  AFRICA 

An  Opportunity  to  Visit  the  Dark  Continent— Preparations 
for  the  Journey — On  Board  a  Man-of-War — We  Enter 
the  Estuary  of  the  Sierra  Leone — Free  Town  and  Its 
Inhabitants — A  Day  Ashore — In  the  Gulf  of  Guinea — 
Saint  Paul  de  Loanda. 

One  afternoon  in  the  autumn  of  1889  I  was  sitting  in 
the  osteological  laboratory  of  the  United  States  Na- 
tional Museum,  puzzling  over  the  skeleton  of  a  Ster- 
corarius  parasiticus^  when  a  messenger-boy  entered, 
and  said,  "Mr.  Brown,  Professor  Goode  wishes  to 
see  you  at  once."  Hastily  laying  aside  my  specimen, 
I  turned  my  steps  toward  the  Museum  building,  won- 
dering as  I  walked  along  what  fault  of  mine  would 
cause  my  dismissal  from  the  corps  of  assistants.  I 
was  soon  ushered  into  the  presence  of  Professor  G. 
Brown  Goode,  who  informed  me  that  the  Government 
was  about  to  send  an  expedition  to  the  west  coast  of 
Africa  to  observe  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  ;  that  a  natural- 
ist (Br.  W.  J.  Holland,  of  Pittsburg)  was  to  accom- 
pany it  in  behalf  of  the  Museum,  and  that  I  had  been 
selected  as  his  assistant  if  I  chose  to  go.  "The  ex- 
pedition," he  said,  "will  sail  on  October  15th,  and  will 
return  in  six  months.    Are  you  prepared  to  go  ? " 

This  proposition  came  upon  me  like  a  thunder-bolt. 
I  had  read  much  of  Africa  in  the  books  of  Livingstone, 

1 


2 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIEK 


Stanley,  and  others,  but  the  idea  of  ever  visiting  the 
Dark  Continent  had  not  yet  occurred  to  my  mind  as  a 
possibilit3^  A  moment  only  did  I  hesitate.  For  some 
time  past  I  had  been  preparing  to  enter  a  German 
university  for  a  four  years'  post-graduate  course  in 
comparative  anatomy,  which  it  was  my  intention  to 
make  my  life-work.  Six  months'  absence,  however, 
would  not  seriously  interfere  with  my  plans,  and,  as 
this  was  an  opportunity  that  might  come  but  once  in 
a  lifetime,  I  immediately  answered,  ''If  you  think  I 
am  fitted  for  the  work,  I  am  ready  to  undertake  it." 
For  more  than  a  fortnight  I  worked  like  a  Trojan, 
day  and  night,  getting  together  preservatives,  knives, 
guns,  ammunition,  fishing-tackle,  seines,  insect  nets, 
vials,  jars,  copper  tanks  filled  with  alcohol — in  short, 
sufficient  collecting  material,  it  seemed  to  me,  to  pre- 
serve two  ship-loads  of  African  animals. 

At  the  last  moment  word  came  from  Dr.  Holland 
that  the  dangerous  illness  of  a  member  of  his  family 
rendered  it  impossible  for  him  to  accompany  the  ex- 
pedition ;.  and  thus  unexpectedly  fell  upon  my  shoul- 
ders the  responsibilities  of  naturalist.  My  brother, 
Arthur  Houston  Brown,  was  then  appointed  as  my 
assistant. 

The  15 til  of  October  found  us  at  the  Brookljm  Navy 
Yard,  and  oh,  how  disappointed !  We  had  anticipated 
a  trip  on  one  of  our  new  ironclads,  instead  of  which 
we  found  ourselves  aboard  an  old  wooden  tub,  the 
Pensacola.  In  the  time  of  wooden  ships  she  was  the 
pride  of  the  nation,  but  her  period  of  usefulness  as  a 
man-of-war  had  quite  gone  by.  I  am  glad  to  say  that 
soon  after  her  return  from  this  trip  she  was  broken 
up  for  her  old  copper.  On  the  expedition,  however, 
she  served  a  good  purpose  as  a  training-ship  for  sev- 
eral hundred  recruits,  who  were  afterward  detailed  to 


THE  WEST  COAST  OF  AFRICA 


3 


our  new  men-of-war.  As  though  to  compensate  for 
her  incapacity,  the  ship  was  manned  by  a  corps  of  of- 
ficers of  such  excellent  quality  and  proficiency,  that  I 
felt  confident  from  what  I  saw  of  them  that,  in  case 
of  war,  our  navy  would  give  a  good  account  of  itself. 
Captain  A.  R.  Yates,  since  deceased,  was  in  command. 
His  second  in  authority.  Lieutenant  F.  Hanford,  is 
now  Captain  Hanford  of  the  United  States  Ship  Alert. 
For  the  cordial  treatment,  and  kindly  assistance  in  my 
work,  which  I  received  at  the  hands  of  the  officers  of 
the  Pensacola^  I  bear  them,  one  and  all,  the  greatest 
gratitude,  coupled  with  the  most  enjoyable  recollec- 
tions. 

As  we  steamed  into  the  estuary  of  the  Sierra  Leone 
on  November  18th,  we  found  Africa  exactly  as  books 
of  travel  had  led  us  to  anticipate — a  land  of  excessive 
heat,  lofty  palm-trees,  gigantic  baobabs,  and  naked 
savages.  At  five  o'clock  we  dropped  anchor  at  Free 
Town,  called,  on  account  of  its  deadly  fevers,  the 
"white  man's  grave."  Immediately  our  vessel  was 
surrounded  by  boats  filled  with  men  and  women, 
shouting,  jabbering,  laughing,  quarrelling,  and  even 
fighting.  The  men  had  for  sale  quantities  of  tropical 
fruits,  and  native  curiosities  such  as  bows,  arrows,  and 
spears.  Tlie  women  were  seeking  for  clothes  to  wash, 
and  they  held  up  papers  of  recommendation,  rub- 
bing their  hands  together  and  shouting,  "Washee- 
washee ! "  One  well-dressed  young  fellow  could  speak 
a  little  English,  of  which  he  seemed  exceedingly  proud. 
"Me  name  Jack  Robinson.  Me  go  shootee-shootee. 
Me  know  where  find  deer,  leopard,  monkey.  Bush 
plenty  full.  Me  good  guide,  no  run  away  lose  master 
in  bush." 

Without  exception  it  was  the  most  confusedly  ex- 
cited and  noisy  lot  of  humanity  I  have  ever  seen. 


4  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


Not  even  the  soft  strains  of  music  from  our  Italian 
band  seemed  in  the  least  to  soothe  the  pandemonium 
until  ''Grod  Save  the  Queen"  v^as  heard,  when  like 
magic  the  noise  ceased  ;  those  who  wore  hats  lifted 
them,  and  silence  reigned  until  the  tune  was  finished  ; 
then  the  hubbub  recommenced  greater  than  before. 
I  said  to  Jack  Robinson,  "Why  do  you  lift  your 
hats?  Do  you  consider  yourselves  Englishmen?" 
He  replied,  "  Sierra  Leone  peoples,  hlack  English- 
men !  "  In  any  event,  they  certainly  are  loyal  British 
subjects. 

As  the  sun  sank  to  rest  that  evening,  a  scene  of  sur- 
passing beauty  was  presented  to  our  vision.  To  the  east 
stretched  the  placid  waters  of  the  broad  Sierra  Leone, 
dotted  with  native  craft  laden  with  fruit  and  grain 
from  the  interior.  To  the  west  a  low-lying,  palm-cov- 
ered point  of  land,  on  which  stood  a  lofty  light-house, 
lay  between  us  and  the  sea.  To  the  south  were  verd- 
ure-covered mountains,  on  the  sides  of  which  stood 
boldly  in  view  the  cathedral,  the  governor's  house,  the 
hospital,  and  the  barracks.  Beneath  these  mountains, 
and  bordering  on  the  water,  lay  Free  Town  with  its 
strange  commingling  of  civilization  and  savagery. 

Free  Town  is  the  capital  of  the  British  province  of 
Sierra  Leone.  It  had  30,000  inhabitants  composed 
almost  entirely  of  blacks,  the  governor  and  the  of- 
ficers of  a  West  India  regiment  being  the  only  white 
men  there.  Even  our  American  consul,  who  came 
aboard  the  Pensacola,  was  as  black  as  the  ace  of 
spades.  The  town  was  founded  by  a  colony  of  four 
hundred  negroes,  who,  as  runaway  slaves,  had  allied 
themselves  to  tlie  British  during  the  Revolution  in  the 
American  colonies,  and  at  the  close  of  that  struggle 
had  fled  to  Nova  Scotia  and  London.  Under  the  in- 
fluence of  Wilberforce,  Granville  Sharp,  and  others, 


THE   WEST  COAST  OF  AFIUCA 


5 


the  ' '  Sierra  Leone  Compan}^ ' '  was  formed,  which 
presently  established  this  colony  of  fugitives.  About 
1800  England  placed  a  fleet  on  the  west  coast  of 
Africa  with  the  object  of  suppressing  the  slave-trade. 
Whenever  a  slave-ship  was  captured,  her  cargo  of  hu- 
man beings  was  taken  to  that  place  and  set  free  ;  and 
thus  the  population  was  raised  from  500  in  1807,  to 
25,000  in  1853.  Many  different  tribes  of  natives,  hav- 
ing all  sorts  of  savage  customs  and  superstitions,  were 
thrust  upon  this  unique  colony.  Philanthropists 
have  worked  assiduously  in  endeavoring  to  establish 
habits  of  industry  among  them,  and  have  succeeded 
fairly  well.  In  religions,  most  Protestant  denomina- 
tions. Catholics,  and  Mohammedans  are  represented. 
In  dress,  one  sees  every  grade,  from  dandies  attired  in 
the  latest  European  fashions  to  people  absolutely 
nude.  The  buildings  vary  in  the  same  wa}^,  from 
good  substantial  stone  structures  down  to  the  most 
primitive  huts.  In  what  may  be  called  the  civilized 
portion  of  Free  Town,  there  are  churches,  schools, 
shops,  and  hotels.  In  times  past,  the  freed  slaves 
congregated  in  separate  communities,  those  from  any 
one  locality  joining  together,  thus  forming  the  differ- 
ent sections  that  are  known  as  Congo  Town,  Angola 
Town,  and  so  on. 

Bright  and  early  on  the  morning  of  IN'ovember  19th, 
armed  with  gun  and  nets,  I  hurried  ashore,  determined 
to  get  as  much  as  possible  out  of  the  day.  At  the 
pier  a  vociferous  crowd  surrounded  me,  all  seeking 
work.  I  promptly  engaged  six  of  these  natives,  in- 
cluding Mr.  Jack  Robinson,  to  go  with  me  into  the 
country.  Before  we  had  proceeded  two  blocks,  how- 
ever, they  all  went  back  on  their  bargain,  saying  that 
they  had  not  yet  eaten  breakfast,  and  that  the  day 
would  be  too  hot  to  work  comfortably  in  the  jungle. 


6 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


After  purchasing  a  pith  helmet  to  protect  my  head 
from  the  excessive  heat,  I  inquired  of  an  intelligent- 
looking  mulatto,  whom  I  met  going  to  market  with  a 
basket  on  his  arm,  if  he  could  inform  me  where  I 
might  employ  reliable  help  for  the  day.  "  Why,  cer- 
tainly," he  replied.  "Go  to  the  Gfentlemen' s  Club, 
on  Kissey  Street,  and  inquire  for  Mr.  Joseph  Men  ton. 
But,  here — have  you  a  pencil  ?  I  will  give  you  a 
note  to  him."  At  the  Gentlemen's  Club  I  was  kindly 
supplied  with  guides  and  carriers. 

We  traversed  a  highway  cut  through  the  jungle 
far  into  the  wilderness  behind  the  Sanitarium.  The 
jungle  was  a  thick  mass  of  trees  and  underbrush  all 
interwoven  with  vines,  and  so  tangled  that  it  was 
next  to  impossible  to  penetrate  it.  The  sides  of  the 
road  were  decorated  with  numerous  trees  covered  with 
flowers,  while  many  birds  with  gorgeous  plumage 
chirped  and  flitted  among  the  branches.  In  fact  the 
country  was  teeming  with  life.  We  returned  that 
evening  much  fatigued,  but  loaded  down  with  plants, 
insects,  birds,  snakes,  lizards,  and  other  reptiles. 

The  26th  of  J^ovember  found  us  in  the  Gulf  of  Guinea, 
steaming  along  the  Gold  Coast  very  near  the  shore. 
Back  of  the  sandy  beach  were  forest-clad,  rolling 
hills,  from  among  which  columns  of  smoke  arose,  prob- 
ably from  the  burning  rubbish  in  the  native  lands. 
By  the  aid  of  our  field-glasses  we  caught  occasional 
glimpses  of  primitive  villages  surrounded  by  beautiful 
trees.  Hither  and  thither  along  the  beach  ran  crowds 
of  black  savages,  evidently  in  a  state  of  great  excite- 
ment at  seeing  a  large  vessel  coasting  so  near.  At 
four  o'clock  we  sighted  two  imposing  white  stone 
structures,  the  picturesque  appearance  of  which  in- 
creased as  we  approached  nearer  and  nearer.  They 
were  the  forts  of  Elmina  ;  and,  to  add  to  their  beauty 


THE  WEST  COAST  OF  AFRICA 


7 


and  that  of  their  surroundings,  the  breakers,  which 
rolled  with  great  force  against  the  neighboring  rocky 
coast,  sent  immense  columns  of  spray  shooting  straight 
into  the  air  like  intermittent  geysers,  while  a  continu- 
ous roaring,  as  of  distant  thunder,  could  be  heard  far 
from  shore.  We  dropped  anchor  at  this  typically 
African  port,  where  we  spent  two  pleasant  and  useful 
days  in  observing  the  strange  customs  of  the  dusky 
inhabitants. 

Steering  our  course  to  the  southeast,  we  sighted,  on 
December  2d,  the  island  of  Saint  Thomas.  Opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Congo  River  the  sea  was  dotted  with 
many  floating  islands  composed  of  grass,  bushes,  and 
drift-wood.  Myriads  of  water-fowl  were  hovering  over 
them,  appeaFing  in  the  distance  like  bees  swarming 
about  a  hive.  For  two  days  we  were  in  the  muddy, 
coffee-colored  water  carried  down  from  Central  Africa 
by  the  floods  of  the  mighty  Congo,  and  said  to  be  dis- 
cernible two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  at  sea. 

On  December  6th  we  coasted  very  near  to  the  main- 
land, and  at  10  p.m.  anchored  8°  48'  S.  latitude  in 
the  harbor  of  Saint  Paul  de  Loanda,  the  capital  of 
the  Portuguese  province  of  Angola.  Hundreds  of 
bright  lights  gleamed  from  the  shore,  making  a  brill- 
iant spectacle,  which,  with  the  electric  display  from 
the  Portuguese  ships  anchored  near  by,  impressed  us 
more  with  the  idea  of  being  in  some  European  port 
than  on  the  shores  of  tropical  Africa.  The  morning, 
however,  brought  with  it  a  view  which  served  to  dispel 
any  doubts  which  we  might  have  entertained  as  to  our 
locality.  To  the  west  lay  a  long,  narrow,  palm-covered 
island,  extending  for  eight  miles  parallel  to  the  main- 
land. Across  the  bay  to  the  south  were  the  white 
walls  of  the  old  fort  of  San  Miguel,  standing  on  a  hill 
cut  off  abruptly  at  the  sea  by  a  perpendicular  cliff. 


8 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 


Between  us  and  the  rising  sun,  extending  from  the 
water's  edge  back  to  the  hills,  was  the  once  flourish- 
ing city  of  Saint  Paul  de  Loanda,  with  its  red-tiled 
roofs,  and  whitewashed  walls,  and  trees  covered  with 
brilliant  crimson  blossoms. 

Saint  Paul  de  Loanda  was  an  important  and  flourish- 
ing place  in  the  palmy  days  of  the  Brazilian  slave- 
trade,  but  with  the  downfall  of  the  latter  her  pros- 
perity ended.  Of  the  20,000  inhabitants,  the  greater 
portion  were  indolent  blacks,  said  to  be  the  scum  of 
all  Angola.  The  American  missionaries  regarded  the 
social  condition  of  the  community  as  deplorable.  The 
majority  of  the  EurojDean  population  were  convicts 
exiled  from  Portugal  for  all  manner  of  crimes — "  ticket- 
of-leave  men,"  who  could  here  pursue- the  ordinary 
vocations  of  life.  Various  positions  of  honor  and 
trust  in  the  city  government  were  reported  to  be  filled 
by  criminals.  For  example,  we  were  told  by  one  of 
the  missionaries  that  the  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction, who  had  once  been  a  priest  of  high  standing 
in  Lisbon,  had  been  exiled  to  Loanda  for  murdering 
a  citizen  whose  daughter  had  been  dishonored  by  him. 

A  woe-begone  melancholy  seemed  cast  over  the  en- 
tire population.  What  a  striking  contrast  to  the  ports 
at  which  we  had  previousl}^  called  !  Instead  of  an 
attitude  of  friendliness,  and  a  desire  to  please,  there 
was  a  marked  suUenness  on  the  part  of  the  natives, 
and  an  apparent  wish  to  get  out  of  the  way  whenever 
a  stranger  approached.  Immense  quantities  of  the 
vilest  rum  were  sold  and  consumed  by  both  blacks 
and  whites.  It  was  common  to  see  negroes  with  re- 
pulsive sores  on  their  bodies,  or  with  one  or  both  legs 
swollen  and  mottled  as  with  some  sort  of  leprosy. 
Through  lack  of  a  fresh-water  supply  and  proper 
sanitation,  what  might  otherwise  have  been  a  health- 


THE  WEST  COAST  OF  AFEICA 


9 


ful  city  was  reeking  witli  pestilential  vapors.  The 
water  for  the  town  was  brought  in  boats  from  dis- 
tant rivers  along  the  coast,  and  retailed  to  the  con- 
sumers by  the  government.  There  was  no  system  of 
sewerage.  Formerly  it  had  been  the  custom  to  carry 
the  garbage  from  the  city  in  a  small  boat,  and  empt}^ 
it  into  the  harbor.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  the  boat 
was  pointed  out  to  me,  lying  broken  on  the  beach, 
where  it  had  been  for  some  months,  no  one  apparently 
having  energy  enough  to  repair  it,  while  in  the  mean- 
time the  garbage  lay  filling  the  air  of  the  city  with 
germs  of  disease. 


CHAPTER  II 


FROM  SAINT  PAUL  DE  LOANDA  TO  CUNGA 

We  Plan  to  Spend  a  Month  on  Shore — Our  Quarters  at  the 
American  Mission — A  Railway  Journey— Native  Laborers 
at  the  Cacoaco  Salt  Works — A  Captive  Crocodile  at 
Quifandongo — Our  First  Trials  in  an  African  Wilderness 
— We  Talce  up  our  Abode  in  a  Trader's  House  on  the 
Coanza  River,  and  Begin  Preserving  Specimens  of  Nat- 
ural History — Kru-boy  Servants — Tormented  by  the  Noc- 
turnal Wailings  of  Native  Mourners — The  Kasamas. 

It  had  been  the  intention  of  the  Director  of  tlie 
Eclipse  Expedition,  Professor  David  P.  Todd,  to  take 
his  observations  at  an  old  Portuguese  fort  called  Mux- 
ima,  situated  seventy  miles  inland  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Coanza  River.  But  upon  going  ashore  at  Saint 
Paul  de  Loanda,  it  was  found  that  the  weekly  mail 
steamer  had  left  for  the  Coanza  a  day  or  two  before 
our  arrival,  and  that  washouts  were  reported  upon  the 
railway  to  the  interior,  thus  making  it  impossible  to 
get  the  telescopes  and  machinery  to  Muxima  in  time 
for  the  eclipse.  In  addition,  the  doctors  strongly  ad- 
vised against  going  inland,  on  account  of  the  preva- 
lence there  of  malarial  fever,  particularly  at  this,  the 
worst  part  of  the  rainy  season.  Hence  it  was  decided 
to  fix  the  station  at  Cape  Ledo,  seventy-live  miles 
south  of  Saint  Paul. 

As  this  change  in  locality  would  give  little  opportu- 

10 


A  Street  m  Saint  Paul  de  Loanda. 


FROM  SAINT  PAUL  DE  LOANDA  TO  CUNGA  H 


nity  for  my  natural  history  collecting,  permission  was 
given  me  to  leave  the  ship  at  Saint  Paul  and  spend  a 
month  on  shore.  Captain  Yates  detailed  two  sailors, 
Ludwig  and  Clancy,  to  accompany  me,  and  also  au- 
thorized the  enlistment  of  ten  natives  to  aid  in  my  col- 
lecting. Among  others  who  landed  at  Loanda  for 
scientific  purposes  were  Mr.  C.  A.  Orr,  Mr.  Heli  Chate- 
lain,  Mr.  Arthur  Brown,  and  one  man  of  the  ship's 
crew,  named  Dougherty.  We  were  given  a  month's 
rations,  and  supplied  with  passes  over  the  newly  con- 
structed railway,  called  the  Chemin  de  Fer  Royal 
Transafricain. 

Through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Chatelain  we  obtained 
permission  to  make  our  head-quarters  at  the  Ameri- 
can mission,  one  of  Bishop  Taylor's  self-supporting 
stations,  healthfully  situated  upon  a  hill.  The  next 
morning  we  transferred  our  equipment  in  ox-carts 
from  the  wharf,  rented  a  room  in  the  basement  of  the 
mission  house  for  a  laboratory,  pitched  our  tents  in 
the  yard,  and  began  work.  I  engaged  several  natives 
to  assist  me  in  collecting,  and  by  the  end  of  a  week 
we  had  preserved  large  quantities  of  vertebrate  and 
invertebrate  fauna  from  both  land  and  sea. 

By  this  time  the  washouts  on  the  railway  had  been 
repaired,  and  on  December  14th  His  Excellency,  the 
Governor  of  Angola,  placed  a  special  train  at  our  dis- 
posal. The  conductor  was  very  accommodating,  stop- 
ping the  train  anywhere  and  everywhere  along  the 
road  to  let  us  olf  for  the  purpose  of  shooting  birds  and 
taking  photographs.  This  was  done  without  in  any 
way  interfering  with  the  general  traffic.  Indeed,  as 
ours  seemed  the  only  train  running  on  that  day,  our 
right  of  way  was  absolute.  The  road  liad  been  seven 
years  in  building,  and  was  now  completed  to  a  dis- 
tance of  eighty  miles.    Its  objective  point  was  a  coffee 


12 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


district  on  the  highlands,  two  hundred  miles  from 
the  coast ;  and  I  understand  it  has  since  reached  its 
destination.  I  have  travelled  over  only  one  other  line 
which  can  compare  with  this  in  length  of  time  re- 
quired for  its  construction,  incompleteness  of  equip- 
ment, and  lack  of  speed,  and  that  is  the  Beira  Railway, 
situated  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  also  in  Portuguese 
territory,  but  not,  however,  owned  and  controlled  by 
the  Portuguese. 

For  the  first  twenty  miles  the  country  was  a  beau- 
tiful level  plain,  with  soil  of  a  reddish  tinge,  and  ap- 
parently very  fertile.  Large  patches  of  manioca,  and 
occasional  fields  of  maize,  were  to  be  seen  along  the 
route,  while  enormous  baobab  trees  were  scattered  here 
and  there.  As  we  advanced  toward  the  interior  the 
vegetation  became  more  rank,  the  grass  grew  high, 
baobabs  became  numerous,  and  groves  of  euphorbias 
were  not  uncommon.  Now  and  again,  rolling,  grass- 
covered  tracks  reminded  us  of  our  well-beloved  West- 
ern prairies. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  reached  the  first  point  of  interest, 
a  little  place  called  Cacoaco,  where  an  arm  of  the  sea 
bends  far  inland.  Here  were  extensive  salt  works 
operated  by  Portuguese  capital.  In  a  large  enclosure 
were  a  number  of  small  structures,  resembling  chicken- 
liouses  both  in  size  and  appearance.  These  were  la- 
borers' quarters,  a  man  and  his  wife  occupying  each 
shanty.  Our  conductor,  who  was  a  Frenchman,  and 
spoke  English  fairly  well,  called  the  enclosure  a  slave- 
pen,  and  blithely  informed  us  that  all  the  laborers 
were  slaves  !  This  seemed  to  me  an  unfair  statement, 
for  two  reasons  :  In  the  first  place,  the  King  of  Portu- 
gal, being  one  of  the  enlightened  rulers  of  Europe, 
would  not  allow  slavery  to  exist  in  any  of  his  domin- 
ions.   In  the  second  place,  I  had  previously  been  in- 


FEOM  SAINT  PAUL  BE  LOAN  DA  TO  CUXGA 


13 


formed  by  higher  and  more  reliable  authority  that 
these  people  were  working  under  contract,  and  were 
locked  in  the  enclosure  and  guarded  at  night  simply 
to  prevent  a  breach  of  contract.  Extraordinary  ad- 
vantages were  conceded  by  the  employers  as  to  term 
of  service — the  time  in  all  cases  being  from  eighty  to 
ninety  years.  The  wages  paid  were  small — nominal, 
in  fact ;  but  to  compensate  for  that,  the  employee 
had  the  option  of  renewing  his  contract  at  an  increase 
of  wages  at  the  expiration  of  his  eighty  or  ninety 
years — if  he  chose  to  do  so !  I  was  unable  to  ascer- 
tain what  percentage  of  the  laborers  were  in  the  habit 
of  renewing  their  contracts. 

Leaving  Cacoaco  we  entered  a  low,  swampy  country, 
which  was  a  perfect  labyrinth  of  tall  rank  grass,  im- 
mense mud-holes,  and  lagoons.  Beyond  that  we  came 
to  the  Beiigo  River,  a  narrow  stream  with  low  banks, 
nearly  overflowing  with  muddy  water.  Along  this 
stream  were  tangled  groves  of  cocoa-nut  palms,  eu- 
phorbias, and  other  trees,  all  interlaced  with  vines, 
and  forming  wildernesses  so  thick  and  dark  as  to 
make  one  shudder  at  the  thought  of  trying  to  pene- 
trate them. 

The  next  station  was  a  little  town  or  native  village 
called  Quifandongo,  situated  on  the  Bengo  River. 
Scarcely  had  the  train  stopped  when  a  lad  came  run- 
ning up,  shouting  something  which  sounded  like 
''Jackora!  Jackora ! "  At  all  events  he  meant 
crocodile,  and  pointed  to  a  crowd  of  natives  under  a 
big  tree  in  the  middle  of  the  public  square.  On  go- 
ing thither  we  found  a  live  crocodile,  eighteen  feet  in 
length,  securely  moored  to  a  tree  by  one  heavy  chain 
tied  around  his  body  just  behind  the  fore  legs,  and 
another  that  ran  down  his  throat ! 

The  method  employed  by  the  negroes  in  capturing 


14 


ox  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


the  reptile  was  simple  but  effective.  To  tlie  middle 
of  a  stout  stick  two  feet  in  length  and  sharpened  at 
both  ends,  a  chain  was  fastened.  A  large  piece  of 
meat  was  tied  to  the  stick  in  such  a  way  that,  in  swal- 
lowing the  meat,  the  crocodile  also  took  the  stake, 
which  went  down  endwise.  One  end  of  the  chain 
had  been  fastened  to  a  tree,  while  the  baited  end 
hung  in  the  river  ;  and  the  animal,  upon  trying  to 
swim  away  after  swallowing  the  meat,  found  himself 
a  captive.  Attaching  a  long  rope  to  the  end  of  the 
chain,  an  army  of  savages  dragged  their  victim  out  of 
the  river  and  placed  him  on  exhibition  in  the  public 
square,  where  the  entire  community  stood  about, 
amusing  themselves  at  his  expense. 

In  order  to  pacify  the  monster's  wrath,  a  stick 
five  inches  in  diameter  had  been  given  him  to  chew. 
While  we  were  there  a  native  went  up  to  him,  talked 
to  him  soothingly,  then  gave  him  a  rousing  cut  over 
the  tail  with  a  switch,  and  quickly  jumped  away. 
The  huge  reptile  was  visibly  annoyed.  He  lashed 
his  massive  tail  from  side  to  side,  clanked  his  bony 
jaws  together,  and  lunged  about  in  a  furious  effort  to 
free  himself  from  his  fetters ;  and  the  ring  of  dusky 
spectators  expressed  their  joy  in  yells  of  laughter. 

I  thought  this  a  particularly  good  opportunity  to 
obtain  a  broad-nosed  crocodile  for  the  National  Mu- 
seum, so  I  signalled  to  the  conductor  to  hold  the  train 
for  me  while  I  should  make  the  purchase.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  three  dollars  bounty  offered  by  the  Portu- 
guese Government,  the  natives  asked  a  stiff  price. 
However,  I  was  just  on  the  point  of  closing  a  bargain, 
when  the  Portuguese  commandant,  or  magistrate  of 
the  place,  came  hurrying  up  in  a  state  of  excitement, 
and  informed  me  that  the  American  Government  could 
not  have  the  animal,  because  he  intended  to  present 


FROM  SAIJNT  PAUL  DE  LOANDA  TO  CUNGA  15 

it  to  the  King  of  Portugal,  to  be  placed  in  the  Royal 
Zoological  Garden  at  Lisbon.  Just  how  he  expected 
the  beast  to  thrive  with  a  big  chain  in  his  throat  and 
two  feet  of  sharpened  stake  in  his  stomach,  I  could 
not  understand  ;  but  to  my  great  disappointment,  I 
failed  to  secure  the  prize. 

Nowhere  in  the  world  is  it  easier  to  get  into  an 
unpleasant  predicament  than  in  Africa.  Just  before 
dark  we  came  to  a  standstill  at  a  side  track  in  the 
wilderness.  There  were  no  houses,  no  inhabitants — 
nothing  but  a  raw,  rolling,  tropical  prairie  with  grass, 
bushes,  and  vines,  from  six  to  twelve  feet  high.  Rain 
had  set  in  during  the  evening,  and  was  then  com- 
ing down  with  considerable  force.  Our  goods  were 
promptly  transferred  to  the  ground,  and  before  we 
realized  what  was  happening,  the  cars  had  started  on 
their  return  journey  to  the  coast.  The  conductor 
bade  us  adieu,  saying,  "This  is  as  far  as  the  train  is 
going." 

We  stared  at  one  another  ;  then  we  gazed  at  the 
vanishing  train,  after  which  we  again  stared  at  one 
another.  We  were  not  quite  sure  whether  we  ought 
to  laugh,  or  indulge  in  disrespectful  epithets.  Our 
passes  guaranteed  us  conveyance  to  Cunga,  on  the 
Coanza  River ;  but  Cunga  was  full  ten  miles  farther 
on.  Nevertheless,  the  Governor  of  the  Province  of 
Angola  had  this  day  royally  complimented  the  great 
American  Republic  by  transporting  her  representatives 
in  a  way  that  might  court  the  envy  of  the  most  notable 
ambassadors,  so  we  gave  thanks  for  blessings  already 
received,  and  set  about  the  task  of  harmonizing  with 
our  environment. 

Forthwith  we  began  to  prepare  for  a  night  in  the 
wilderness.  We  were  well  equipped  with  tents  and 
provisions  ;  and,  luckily,  we  found  a  small  pile  of  coal 


76 


ox  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 


near  the  track.  While  some  of  us  were  busy  pitching 
our  tents,  one  of  the  party  built  a  fire  in  our  navy 
camp-stove,  and  we  were  soon  able  to  partake  of  a 
supper  of  hardtack  and  muddy  coffee,  the  latter  thor- 
oughly flavored  with  cigarette  tobacco,  which  Mr.  Orr 
accidentally  dropped  into  the  pot  while  the  water  was 
boiling. 

Not  knowing  what  to  expect  from  wild  beasts  or 
barbarians,  we  divided  the  night  into  watches,  each 
man  taking  his  turn  at  sentry-go,  armed  to  the  teeth 
with  revolver  and  rifle.  As  far  as  sleep  was  con- 
cerned, all  of  us  might  as  well  have  done  guard  duty 
the  entire  night.  Such  mosquitoes  we  had  never  be- 
fore encountered !  Netting  was  of  no  avail  in  keep- 
ing off  this  ferocious  African  variety.  Our  red-headed 
sailor-boy,  Clancy,  made  a  solemn  oath  that  they  were 
biting  through  his  cowhide  boots.  It  was  our  first 
introduction  to  one  of  the  scourges  of  the  Dark  Con- 
tinent, the  African  midge,  a  minute,  black,  winged 
insect,  against  which  the  meshes  of  a  mosquito-net 
are  no  more  a  barrier  than  is  a  brier-patch  to  a  hunted 
rabbit.  Through  the  dismal  darkness  we  paced  our 
beat,  wading  to  our  ankles  in  mud,  while  the  rain 
came  down  in  ceaseless  torrents.  The  only  variations 
from  the  monotonous  execrations  of  the  tortured  wa}^- 
farers,  which  met  the  sentrj^'s  ears,  were  the  occasional 
screech  of  a  night-bird,  the  deep  rumbling  of  the  flooded 
waters  of  the  distant  Coanza  River,  and,  at  one  time, 
the  thudding  of  the  engine  and  paddle-wheels  of  a 
steamboat,  as  it  ascended  the  swollen  stream.  The 
appearance  of  dawn  without  rain  was  hailed  with  de- 
light ;  and  then  the  problem  faced  us,  ''How  are  we 
to  move  forward  ? " 

Mr.  Orr  and  I  made  a  reconnoitring  expedition 
along  the  track,  and  came  upon  a  railway-construe- 


FEOM  SAINT  PAUL  DE  LOANDA  TO  CUNGA  17 

tion  party,  from  whom  we  obtained  a  liand-car  and  a 
band  of  laborers  to  push  it  and  to  handle  our  goods. 
Eain  began  once  more  at  about  eight  o'clock,  and 
continued  until  after  mid-day.  It  was  late  in  the 
afternoon  before  we  succeeded  in  getting  all  our  pos- 
sessions over  the  five  miles  of  damaged  track.  At 
last,  however,  the  feat  was  accomplished,  and  we 
quickly  loaded  our  belongings  on  a  construction  train, 
and  once  more  joyfully  journeyed  forward. 

We  had  passed  through  several  miles  of  wild  country, 
when  in  the  distance  we  espied  a  European  dwelling. 
It  was  on  the  Coanza  River,  near  the  trading-station 
of  Cunga,  and  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Chatelain's  former 
sojourn  in  these  parts  had  been  owned  and  occupied 
by  two  young  English  traders.  These  unfortunate 
men,  after  a  few  months'  residence  in  the  place,  had 
succumbed  to  the  deadly  fever,  and  had  been  buried 
in  the  yard.  As  we  were  told  that  the  house  had 
been  vacant  for  several  years,  it  seemed  probable 
that  we  should  be  able  to  procure  it  for  our  habita- 
tion during  the  few  weeks  we  intended  spending 
there. 

We  were  now  in  the  low,  swampy  Coanza  River 
basin,  where,  on  either  side,  the  grass  was  from  eight 
to  ten  feet  high.  Just  as  darkness  began  to  envelop 
us,  we  arrived  at  the  Cunga  terminus  of  the  track, 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  river's  bank.  The  flat  car, 
on  which  we  and  our  goods  were  carried,  was  un- 
coupled and  abandoned  as  a  derelict,  and  the  train 
promptly  steamed  away  to  a  railway-camp  back  on 
the  high  ground.  Once  more  we  were  left  alone  in 
the  wilderness  to  shift  as  best  we  might ;  for  such  is 
life  in  Africa. 

Chatelain  set  out  to  the  Cunga  trading-house  to  find 
a  place  to  sleep,  and  also  to  learn  from  a  Portuguese 
2 


18 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


friend  what  arrangements  could  be  made  about  our 
future  encampment.  We  were  all  too  tired  and  sleepy 
to  bother  about  pitching  a  tent  for  the  night,  so  we 
piled  our  boxes  on  the  flat  car,  spread  a  large  tarpaulin 
over  them,  and  were  just  arranging  ourselves  for  the 
night,  wlien  Chatelain  returned  with  the  good  news 
that  the  house  we  had  seen  at  a  distance  was  really 
vacant  and  at  our  disposal  during  our  stay  at  Cunga. 
Orr  and  Chatelain  went  off  to  the  house  to  sleep,  but 
the  rest  of  us,  not  wishing  to  leave  the  goods  unpro- 
tected, spread  our  blankets  and,  in  spite  of  mosquitoes 
and  midges,  soon  fell  asleep. 

During  the  night  rain  came  down  in  torrents,  and, 
as  our  tarpaulin  was  not  broad  enough  to  cover  the 
entire  car,  the  water  came  pouring  through  our  blank- 
ets, and  drowned  us  out.  As  the  truck  had  been  used 
for  hauling  dirt,  the  whole  place  was  soon  slippery 
with  mud.  When  the  rain  finally  subsided,  we  made 
a  fire  under  the  car,  boiled  some  coffee,  and  tried  to 
dry  ourselves  and  be  comfortable.  But  the  remainder 
of  the  night  was  wofully  dreary.  We  heard  all  sorts 
of  noises,  some  of  which  we  thought  were  made  by 
hyenas  and  lions.  To  render  the  situation  more  inter- 
esting, Clancy  startled  us  by  announcing  that  two 
fiery  eyes  were  staring  at  us  from  a  thicket  in  the  ra- 
vine below.  We  got  out  our  rifles,  and  stood  guard 
over  ourselves  the  rest  of  the  night,  and,  although  the 
strange  noises  continued,  we  saw  nothing  to  shoot  at. 
When  morning  dawned,  we  discovered  that  the  weird 
cries  which  had  so  alarmed  us  were  made  by  owls 
perched  in  the  numerous  cocoa-nut  palms  that  sur- 
rounded our  camp. 

Daylight  disclosed  a  dismal  scene.  Our  blankets 
were  covered  with  mud,  and  everything  we  had  was 
soaking  wet.    It  took  us  most  of  the  day  to  dry  our 


FEOM  SAINT  PAUL  DE  LOANDA  TO  CUNGA  19 

clothes  and  put  things  to  rights.  Toward  evening 
we  engaged  some  Kru-boys  to  carry  our  equipment 
from  the  railway  to  our  new  quarters  in  the  large 
white  house,  which  was  a  few  hundred  yards  distant 
down  the  river. 

The  individual  who  had  been  so  prompt  in  offering 
us  an  abode,  was  a  Portuguese  gentleman,  Senhor  Joao 
Rebella,  manager  of  the  English  trading-house  at 
Cunga.  The  kindness  received  at  the  hands  of  this 
excellent  gentleman  gave  us  an  exalted  idea  of  Portu- 
guese hospitality. 

Within  a  few  rods  of  the  house  was  the  river.  At 
this  point  the  Coanza  is  several  hundred  yards  in 
width,  and  deep  enough  for  steamboats  to  navigate  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  it  was 
swollen  from  bank  to  bank.  South  of  the  river  is  a 
marshy  flat  covered  with  a  labyrinth  of  large  and 
small  lagoons,  in  which  are  floating  islands  of  grass 
that  drift  about  according  to  the  direction  of  the  wind. 
Numbers  of  hippopotami  occupy  these  lagoons,  but, 
on  account  of  the  swamps,  they  are  extremely  difficult 
to  kill.  They  formerly  inhabited  the  river,  but  were 
frightened  away  by  the  steamboats  plying  up  and 
down  the  stream. 

There  is  no  sign  in  this  region  of  the  wonderful  tropi- 
cal forests  that  one  expects  to  see.  Tall  palm-trees 
grow  about  the  settlements,  and  back  on  the  high 
ground  away  from  the  river-bottom  there  are  small 
groves  of  green,  fleshy,  and  leafless  euphorbias,  look- 
ing, as  a  distinguished  traveller  has  aptly  described 
them,  "like  the  seven  golden  candlesticks,  only  with 
seventy  instead  of  seven  branches." 

Our  house  was  a  two-story  structure  built  of  stone, 
with  an  outside  coating  of  plaster,  and  a  roof  made  of 
thatch.    One  of  the  rooms  on  the  ground  floor  was 


20 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FEONTIER 


filled  with  barrels  of  rum,  but  the  remaining  three 
were  at  our  disposal.  Tlie  largest  was  quickly  con- 
verted into  a  laboratory,  while  the  other  two  served  as 
kitchen  and  dining-room.  On  the  second  floor  was 
one  room,  which  we  used  as  our  sleeping  apartment. 
Clancy  volunteered  to  be  our  cook  ;  and  the  other  two 
sailors  made  excellent  and  willing  assistants  at  pre- 
serving specimens.  In  addition  to  our  own  force,  I 
engaged  a  colored  man,  William  Strong,  who  was  born 
in  the  United  States,  but  who,  when  still  a  lad,  had 
been  taken  by  his  parents  to  Liberia.  He  spoke  Eng- 
lish very  well,  and,  by  reason  of  his  knowledge  of  the 
language  and  ways  of  the  aborigines,  was  of  great  as- 
sistance to  us.  Scarcely  were  we  settled,  when  scores 
of  natives  came  to  look  at  us.  Having  brought  along 
plenty  of  trinkets,  we  soon  interested  these  savages  in 
collecting  birds,  fishes,  reptiles,  and  insects,  which  they 
exchanged  for  "Yankee  notions." 

Owing  to  the  negroes'  innate  antipathy  to  work,  the 
labor  problem  is  as  serious  on  the  Coanza  as  in  other 
parts  of  Africa.  Although  the  country  is  thickly 
populated,  the  railway  company  was  obliged  to  im- 
port Kru-boys  from  Sierra  Leone  in  order  to  build  the 
road.  Five  of  these  men  were  stationed  at  the  pier, 
engaged  in  the  easy  task  of  keeping  a  tank  filled  with 
water  for  the  engine.  This  occupied  but  a  few  hours 
each  day,  and,  as  they  had  plenty  of  leisure,  they  ren- 
dered us  much  good  service.  When  there  was  any 
heavy  lifting  to  be  done,  or  when  the  local  natives  did 
not  put  in  an  appearance,  we  could  always  call  upon 
them  for  help.  In  fact,  I  do  not  see  how  we  should 
have  been  able  to  get  along  without  them.  They  spoke 
a  little  English,  became  our  stanch  friends  forthwith, 
and  never  seemed  so  happy  as  when  helping  us.  They 
took  our  part  against  the  Cunga  natives,  and  actually 


FROM  SAINT  PAUL  DE  LOANDA  TO  CUNGA  21 

fought  for  us  on  the  slightest  provocation !  Many 
times  we  had  to  command  tliem  to  desist  from  beating 
some  unfortunate  M'Bundu,  wlio  liad  taken  undue 
advantage  of  us  in  a  trade,  or  who  had  dared  to  make 
some  disparaging  remark  about  us.  Their  only  fault 
seemed  to  be  their  appetite  for  rum,  for  which  they 
were  continually  asking. 

The  people  inhabiting  the  north  side  of  the  Coanza 
River  belong  to  the  M'Bundu  tribe.  Judging  from 
what  I  saw  of  them,  they  are  a  useless,  detestable,  de- 
jected lot  of  drunkards.  At  the  time  of  our  visit, 
small-pox,  or  "Kafir-pox,"  as  it  is  known  in  South 
Africa,  was  making  considerable  progress  in  the  direc- 
tion of  lessening  their  numbers.  A  great  many  deaths 
occurred  while  we  were  there,  and  at  all  hours  of  the 
day  and  night  could  be  heard  what  the  Irish  call 
keening.  This  was  done  by  the  aged  women ;  and 
surely  no  human  beings  have  ever  attained  greater 
perfection  in  the  art  of  mourning  than  these  shrivelled 
up,  wrinkled  old  creatures.  The  mosquitoes  and  heat 
were  torture  to  us,  but  the  continuous  wailing  through 
the  dreary  nights  drove  us  almost  distracted.  As  the 
gloomy  shades  of  darkness  gathered  about  us,  the  un- 
canny sighing  of  the  river  and  the  queer  noises  of 
nocturnal  birds,  beasts,  and  insects  thrilled  us  with 
strange  sensations  ;  but  when  the  sultry  breezes  wafted 
to  our  ears  those  pitiful  lamentations,  which  one  might 
easily  fancy  to  be  the  distressful  wailings  of  souls  lost 
forever  in  the  grewsome  depths  of  the  Inferno,  our 
hearts  quailed  within  us. 

Once  I  went  into  one  of  the  huts  where  this  awful 
howling  was  going  on,  and  there  sat  an  old  woman 
rocking  to  and  fro  over  a  dead  child  which  lay  beside 
her  on  the  dirt  floor.  The  mother  was  sitting  near, 
complacently  eating  her  supper,  and  she  seemed  to 


22 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


take  considerable  pleasure  in  removing  a  filthy  blanket 
and  exhibiting  the  corpse. 

The  country  south  of  the  river  is  inhabited  by  a 
savage  tribe  of  natives  called  Kasamas,  who  file  their 
teeth  to  a  point,  and  are  said  to  be  cannibals.  Al- 
though the  Portuguese  have  had  possession  of  Angola 
for  more  than  three  centuries,  it  is  only  in  name  that 
they  hold  that  portion  lying  immediately  to  the  south 
of  the  Coanza  Eiver.  We  were  told  that  an  expedi- 
tion undertaken  some  years  earlier  against  the  Kasa- 
mas was  driven  back  with  heavy  losses,  and  actually 
left  its  brass  cannons  in  possession  of  the  enemy.  The 
Kasamas  are  said  to  be  extremely  superstitious,  and 
they  make  a  practice  of  "smelling  out "  and  condemn- 
ing people  for  witchcraft.  A  high  cliff  six  miles  above 
Cunga  serves  as  a  site  for  the  execution  of  witches,  the 
condemned  wretches  being  hurled  from  its  top  into 
the  water,  to  be  eaten  by  crocodiles.  In  consequence, 
these  reptiles,  which  are  numerous  there,  have  ac- 
quired a  taste  for  human  flesh,  and  hence  are  a  source 
of  great  dread  to  the  people  inhabiting  the  banks  of 
the  river. 


CHAPTER  III 


A  FORTNIGHT  ON  THE  COANZA  RIVER 

The  Natives  Exchange  Specimens  for  "  Yankee  Notions  " — The 
Cunga  Inhabitants  Crave  Liquor — A  Dusky  Flirtation — 
Portuguese  Cruelty — Clancy  Shoots  One  of  Senhor  Re- 
bella's  Pigs — The  Eclipse — A  Hippopotamus  Hunt — The 
Sailors  Play  a  Practical  Joke  on  the  Aborigines  —  A 
Woman  Killed  by  a  Crocodile — Reptiles  Robbed  of  a 
Feast — Some  Funeral  Customs. 

Large  game  was  said  to  be  plentiful  on  the  Coanza 
River,  but  we  were  there  at  the  worst  time  of  the  year 
for  hunting.  The  vegetation  was  so  rank  that  it  was 
next  to  impossible  to  get  about  except  along  a  beaten 
path  ;  consequently,  we  saw  very  little  more  than  foot- 
prints. Although  my  brother  Arthur  and  I  had  had 
a  fair  amount  of  experience  in  the  Rocky  Mountains 
in  hunting  deer  and  grizzlies,  the  jungles  of  equato- 
rial Africa  were  new  to  us.  Nevertheless,  had  we  had 
more  time  at  our  disposal,  or  had  our  visit  to  the 
Coanza  occurred  during  the  dry  season,  when  the 
grass  could  be  burned,  we  should  have  met  with  bet- 
ter success.  Our  time  was  so  limited  that  we  gave 
most  of  it  to  preserving  small  mammals,  birds,  fishes, 
insects,  reptiles,  and  plants.  Of  all  these  we  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  large  numbers. 

The  natives  soon  became  intensely  interested  in  col- 
lecting for  us  ;  and  crowds  of  men,  women,  and  chil- 

23 


24 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


dren  visited  our  house  every  morning.  With  the  little 
boys  we  traded  fish-hooks,  mouse-traps,  and  other 
trinkets  for  the  insects  which  they  brought.  The  men 
came  with  fishes,  turtles,  snakes,  and  other  reptiles  to 
exchange  for  copper  coins,  and  the  women  accompan- 
ied them  in  order  to  see  the  excitement  and  contribute 
to  the  general  hilarity. 

We  had  not  been  long  in  the  neighborhood  when 
the  inhabitants  began  to  appeal  to  us  for  medical  as- 
sistance. Realizing  that  by  refusing  we  should  gain 
their  disfavor,  we  set  about  to  comply  with  their  re- 
quests. Our  only  medicine,  beyond  what  was  needed 
by  our  party,  was  several  bottles  of  patent  fever  mixt- 
ure which  had  been  presented  to  the  expedition  by 
the  manufacturers  as  an  advertisement.  This  we  di- 
luted into  an  abundant  supply,  and  with  it  we  cured 
the  natives  of  all  kinds  of  real  or  imaginary  diseases. 
At  regular  hours  the  patients  visited  us  to  receive 
their  spoonfuls  of  concoction.  Its  taste  was  abomina- 
ble, and  therefore  they  thought  it  excellent  medicine. 
We  made  the  applicants  form  in  line,  and  as  each  in 
turn  handed  over  a  snake,  a  bird,  a  fish,  or  some  other 
specimen  in  payment  for  treatment,  the  spoonful  of 
medicine  was  administered.  Its  effect  varied  as  much 
as  the  character  of  the  fee.  After  swallowing  it,  some 
patted  their  stomachs,  others  rubbed  them,  while 
others  jumped  up  and  down.  All  made  horrible  grim- 
aces, however,  and  went  away  declaring  that  it  was 
the  best  medicine  they  had  ever  taken. 

One  morning  a  native  came  to  us,  bringing  a  little 
spotted  antelope.  At  first,  he  wanted  seventy-five 
"makutas,"  but  finally  offered  it  for  twenty -five 
(seventy-five  cents),  insisting,  however,  on  having  a 
drink  of  alcohol  fi'om  one  of  our  tanks  before  he  would 
close  the  bargain.    This  I  emphatically  refused,  and 


A  FORTNIGHT  ON  THE  COANZA  RIVER  25 

finally  we  came  to  an  agreement  without  it.  Later  I 
learned  with  regret  that  Clancy  had  slyly  yielded  to 
his  wishes.  The  old  man  had  smacked  his  lips,  saying 
that  it  was  the  finest  liquor  in  the  country.  Nothing 
in  the  way  of  spirits  seemed  too  strong  for  the  liking 
of  these  blear-eyed  creatures,  both  male  and  female, 
and  the  vile  rum  with  which  they  poisoned  themselves 
was  rapidly  working  destruction  among  them. 

The  Cunga  natives  appeared  to  be  utterly  devoid 
of  all  ideas  of  decency  accepted  by  civilized  people. 
One  afternoon  a  fat  girl  went  to  the  river  immediate- 
ly in  front  of  our  house,  and  in  full  view  quite  un- 
concernedly threw  off  her  clothes  and  took  a  bath. 
As  she  was  unmarried,  her  presence  attracted  several 
of  her  admirers,  and  it  was  amusing  to  watch  their  an- 
tics. The  first  negro  who  came  up,  promptly  began 
flirting  with  her.  In  a  short  time  another  put  in  an 
appearance,  and  was  quite  indignant  at  seeing  the  first 
carrying  on  a  flirtation.  Throwing  off  a  part  of  his  at- 
tire, which  consisted  of  a  few  strips  of  calico  wrapped 
about  the  waist  and  shoulders,  he  briskly  waded  into 
the  water  where  his  ebony  sweetheart  was  enjoying 
her  bath.  Apparently,  however,  she  did  not  like  him, 
for  she  refused  to  pay  any  attention  to  him  ;  where- 
upon he  went  out  and  sat  on  the  bank,  and  spitefully 
threw  mud  at  her. 

We  were  considerably  shocked  at  the  Portuguese 
treatment  of  the  aborigines,  whom  they  still  seemed  to 
hold  much  as  slaves.  One  day  some  native  men  stole 
a  trunk  from  the  car  that  brought  our  freight  to 
Cunga.  As  they  were  caught  with  the  trunk  in  their 
possession,  severe  punishment  was  considered  neces- 
sary. Each  was  sentenced  to  receive  twenty -four 
strokes  on  the  palms  of  his  hands.  The  instrument 
used  was  a  paddle  made  of  hard  wood,  four  inches 


26  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FKONTIER 

wide  and  one  inch  thick,  with  small  holes  bored 
through  it.  The  criminals  were  compelled  to  hold  out 
their  hands,  while  a  big  burly  negro  brought  the  pad- 
dle down  as  hard  as  he  could  strike.  An  old  Portu- 
guese stood  near  with  a  club,  and  whenever  the  victim 
hesitated  to  extend  his  palms,  the  prompter  gave  him 
a  rap  over  the  back.  The  cruel  punishment  made  the 
poor  wretches  howl  with  pain,  and  their  hands  soon 
became  so  swollen  that  they  were  unable  to  use  them 
for  a  long  time. 

The  Portuguese  trader,  Senhor  Rebella,  treated  us 
with  great  consideration.  On  several  occasions  he  dis- 
played a  degree  of  forbearance  that  could  scarcely 
have  been  expected.  Once  our  cook,  Clancy,  went  out 
with  a  rifle,  saying  that  he  would  kill  some  game  for 
the  table.  Shortly  after  his  departure  we  heard  a  shot 
in  the  tall  grass,  immediately  followed  by  a  succession 
of  resounding  blows  and  the  squeals  of  some  animal. 
As  we  looked  out  of  the  house  we  saw  several  natives 
run  into  the  grass  where  the  fracas  was  going  on. 
They  quickly  reappeared,  ran  to  the  river,  jumped 
into  a  canoe,  and  in  great  excitement  went  paddling 
off  up  stream,  toward  the  trading-house,  as  fast  as 
they  could  go.  The  facts  of  the  case  concerned  our 
Portuguese  friend,  Kebella,  who  had  a  number  of 
pigs  roaming  about  the  country.  The  enterprising 
Clancy  thought  he  would  kill  one,  skin  it,  bring  it  to 
camp,  and  palm  it  olf  on  us  for  a  wild  one.  Unfortu- 
nately, the  first  shot  only  stunned  the  animal ;  and 
having  but  one  cartridge  with  him,  Clancy  thought  he 
would  complete  his  crime  by  hitting  the  pig  over  the 
head  with  the  butt  of  his  gun.  Still  more  unfortunate- 
ly, the  first  blow  broke  the  gun,  and  set  the  pig  to 
squealing,  so  that  it  became  necessary  to  get  another 
rifle  before  the  noise  could  be  stopped. 


A  FORTNIGHT  ON  THE  COANZA  RIVER 


27 


Rebella  soon  appeared ;  and  naturally  we  expected 
a  scene.  "You  killy  me  swine  !  "  he  said.  I  explained 
the  matter  with  regrets  and  apologies,  and  offered  a 
liberal  indemnity  for  the  property  destroyed.  But 
the  Senhor  was  not  to  be  outdone.  He  not  only  re- 
fused all  pay,  but  he  gave  us  the  pig  to  eat.  How- 
ever, he  begged  us  to  be  careful  thereafter  not  to  kill 
any  of  his  "  niggers  !  "  He  treated  us  unusually  well 
that  day.  First  he  sent  some  natives  for  cocoa-nuts 
and  pineapples,  and  then  invited  my  brother  and  me 
to  take  dinner  with  him.  This  made  us  feel  still  more 
ashamed  of  Clancy's  conduct.  Nevertheless,  we  gladly 
accepted  the  invitation.  Our  host  gave  us  an  excellent 
dinner,  but  was  disappointed  that  we  did  not  partake 
of  his  fine  wines. 

The  22d  of  December  was  the  day  for  the  eclipse, 
but  the  morning  was  so  cloudy  and  unfavorable  that 
we  were  sorry  it  could  not  be  postponed.  At  about 
nine  o'clock  Kebella  came  down,  and  invited  Arthur 
and  me  to  take  breakfast  with  him  at  eleven.  The 
meal  consisted  of  twenty  courses,  more  or  less,  and  we 
spent  two  hours  at  the  table.  At  last  we  caught  sight 
of  the  sun  through  the  clouds,  saw  that  the  eclipse 
was  just  coming  on,  and  hurried  back  to  camp  to 
make  drawings  of  it.  On  our  way  we  notified  some 
natives  of  what  was  going  to  take  place,  but  it  did 
not  seem  to  frighten,  or  even  interest,  them  in  the 
least. 

As  it  was  very  cloudy,  we  could  get  but  an  occa- 
sional glimpse  of  the  sun.  At  about  three  o'clock  it 
began  to  grow  dark,  and  the  clouds  gathered  low  down 
in  heavy,  black  masses.  The  birds  flew  around  ap- 
parently bewildered,  while  the  bats  came  out  from  the 
palm-trees,  and  from  under  the  eaves  of  our  house. 
A  weird  shadow,  which  inspired  one  with  a  feeling  of 


28 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


awe,  covered  the  landscape  ;  and  perfect  darkness  en- 
sued, lasting  for  but  two  minutes. 

Arthur  and  I  went  several  times  in  search  of  hip- 
popotami, but  it  took  considerable  time  to  become  fa- 
miliar with  their  habits,  and  hence  to  learn  the  places 
that  they  frequented.  Although  there  were  many 
in  the  neighborhood,  as  their  numerous  tracks  indi- 
cated, nevertheless,  during  the  sultry  hours  of  sun- 
shine, they  succeeded  in  concealing  themselves  so  ef- 
fectually in  the  swamp  grass  of  the  lagoons,  that  it 
seemed  next  to  impossible  to  gain  sight  of  them.  At 
night  they  came  out  to  the  meadows  to  gorge  them- 
selves with  the  succulent  herbage.  I  therefore  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  waylaying  them  in  the  dark,  and  so 
persuaded  an  old  man  and  his  son  to  accompany  me 
across  the  river  to  spend  a  night  in  the  swamps.  My 
companions  were  enthusiastic  over  the  undertaking, 
and  they  informed  me  many  times  on  the  way  that 
"  Hippopotum  munta  boa  pour  choppy  chop" — that 
is,    Hippopotamus  is  good  meat  to  eat." 

At  dusk  we  took  our  position  in  the  tall  grass  near 
one  of  the  numerous  paths  which  led  from  the  lagoons 
to  the  feeding-grounds  ;  but  there  were  trials  in  store 
for  us,  the  full  magnitude  of  which  we  had  not  con- 
templated. Of  all  the  mosquitoes  and  midges  I  have 
ever  encountered,  none  have  equalled  those  of  that 
memorable  night.  The  lad  with  his  bare  skin  seemed 
to  suffer  intensely,  but  the  skin  of  the  father  was  ap- 
parently as  callous  as  that  of  a  hippopotamus.  At 
least,  if  the  man  was  not  inured  to  the  bites  of  mos- 
quitoes, he  suffered  with  the  noble  resignation  of  a 
martyr  at  the  stake,  while  the  youngster  and  I  were 
forced  to  groan  with  torture.  The  sky  was  overcast 
and  ominous,  and  the  atmosphere  seemed  reeking  with 
pestilential  dampness ;  hence,  during  the  first  part  of 


A  FORTNIGHT  ON  THE  COANZA  RIVER 


29 


the  evening,  I  wore  a  waterproof  coat  to  keep  out  the 
moisture,  as  well  as  to  protect  myself  from  mosquitoes, 
but  the  heat  was  so  oppressive  that  I  soon  found  my- 
self wringing  wet. 

Shortly  after  the  beginning  of  our  vigil  we  heard 
the  grunting  of  the  hippopotami  as  they  began  to  leave 
the  lagoons.  Nearer  and  nearer  they  came.  Finally 
we  were  startled  by  the  presence  of  one  within  a  few 
yards  of  us,  and  with  feverish  excitement  I  awaited 
the  brute's  appearance;  but  we  soon  discovered  that 
he  had  scented  us  and  had  taken  another  path. 

The  rest  of  the  night  we  spent  wandering  about  the 
swamps,  several  times  getting  into  water  to  our  waists^ 
and,  although  we  were  in  close  proximity  to  the  hip- 
popotami, the  darkness  was  so  intense  that  I  was 
unable  to  make  out  the  form  of  their  bodies.  Just 
as  day  was  breaking,  we  returned  unsuccessful  to  the 
north  bank  of  the  river.  Whenever  I  subsequently 
suggested  a  night  hunt  for  hippopotami,  the  expres- 
sions of  agony  td  be  seen  on  the  faces  of  those  guides 
were  truly  pathetic ! 

A  few  days  later  two  n&,tive  hunters  offered  to  lead 
us  to  a  lagoon,  where  they  said  we  could  find  plent}^ 
of  hippopotami.  Arthur  and  I  decided  to  go  with 
them,  although  we  had  little  hope  of  meeting  with  suc- 
cess. We  crossed  the  river  in  a  canoe,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded on  foot  to  the  lagoon. 

We  had  advanced  but  a  few  hundred  yards  when  we 
heard  snorting  and  grunting.  "  Hippopotum  !  Hippo- 
potum  !  "  said  the  natives.  We  crept  along  very  cau- 
tiously through  the  grass,  and  soon  came  to  an  im- 
penetrable jungle.  How  to  get  through  it  we  knew 
not;  and  the  natives  themselves  seemed  puzzled. 
However,  a  few  rods  to  our  right,  we  discovered  an 
opening  through  which  we  obtained  a  full  view  of  the 


30 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FEONTIER 


placid  waters  of  the  lagoon.  Sure  enough,  on  the  op- 
posite  side  Avere  six  or  eight  hippopotami  swimming 
about  witli  only  their  heads  above  water.  What  were 
we  to  do  ?  There  were  no  canoes  here,  and  the  ani- 
mals were  out  of  range,  fully  six  hundred  yards  from 
us.  The  only  resort  was  to  go  to  the  opposite  side 
and  slip  in  behind  them.  To  this  the  natives  objected, 
saying  that  it  was  too  far,  and  that  the  sun  was  too 
hot.  They  tried  to  get  us  to  shoot  from  where  we 
were.  We  finally  persuaded  them  to  go,  but  the  grass 
was  so  high  and  thick  that  we  were  obliged  to  follow 
a  path  which  led  us  four  miles  around. 

Eventually  arriving  at  the  place,  we  were  disap- 
pointed to  find  that  we  were  still  a  hundred  yards 
from  the  brutes,  and  that  they  were  so  obscured  from 
our  view  by  swamp  grass,  that  we  had  to  climb  trees 
to  get  a  shot  at  them.  Arthur  took  good  aim  at  the 
head  of  the  nearest  one,  and  fired.  The  snorting  and 
commotion  that  followed  was  something  tremendous. 
They  jumped  up  and  down  in  the  water,  looking  as 
large  as  elephants,  and  often  exposing  their  whole 
bodies,  at  which  we  both  began  rapidl}^  firing  with  re- 
peating Winchesters.  In  a  short  time  the  beasts  were 
well  out  of  range,  and  we  saw  our  mistake.  Had  one 
of  us  remained  where  we  had  first  sighted  them,  he 
would  now  have  had  a  fine  opportunity^,  as  they  were 
near  the  opposite  edge  of  the  lagoon,  where  they  kept 
up  a  terrible  snorting.  The  only  thing  remaining  was 
for  Arthur  or  me  to  return  to  tlie  opposite  side.  I  de- 
termined to  go,  and  tried  to  induce  one  of  the  natives 
to  accompany  me,  but  without  success,  as  they  were 
too  lazy.  I  therefore  set  out  alone,  but  rather  than 
follow  the  roundabout  path,  I  tried  a  short  cut,  be- 
came entangled  several  times  in  the  high  marsh  grass, 
and  nearly  succumbed  to  the  heat. 


A  FORTNIGHT  ON  THE  COANZA  RIVER 


31 


In  the  meantime  Arthur  became  impatient,  and  as 
the  hippopotami  swam  back  into  the  middle  of  the 
lagoon,  he  tried  to  slip  up  closer  to  them,  and,  in  con- 
sequence, came  near  sinking  out  of  sight  in  the  mire, 
cutting  his  hands  and  face  on  the  coarse  grass  in  en- 
deavoring to  reach  dry  land  again.  He  then  climbed 
a  tree  where  he  could  see  them  plainly,  took  careful 
aim,  and  tired  several  times  with  uncertain  results. 
Just  before  sundown  I  arrived  at  the  opposite  bank, 
and  we  opened  lire  from  both  sides.  We  could  see 
that  three  of  the  animals  were  badly  wounded,  for 
every  time  they  came  to  the  surface,  they  spouted 
great  sheets  of  blood  from  their  nostrils,  making  the 
water  red  for  some  yards  around.  Finally,  they  all 
disappeared  under  a  floating  island  of  grass. 

We  thought  that  we  had  killed  several,  but  were  sure 
of  only  one.  After  being  wounded  this  one  had  tried 
to  crawl  from  the  water  to  the  bank,  about  fifty  yards 
from  where  Arthur  was  stationed.  To  make  sure  that 
life  was  extinct  he  put  six  shots  into  its  head.  We 
went  liome  with  bright  prospects  of  finding  other  dead 
ones  in  the  morning.  The  guides  promised  to  come 
early  the  next  day  and  bring  a  party  of  natives  with 
them  who  would  carry  a  canoe  from  the  river  to  the 
lagoon  and  help  skin  the  hippopotami. 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  early,  ready  for  the 
trip  ;  but  the  natives  who  were  to  take  us  over,  joined 
by  some  friends,  had  gone  fishing  to  the  other  side  of 
the  river  before  daylight.  We  went  to  several  villages 
trying  to  get  other  negroes  with  canoes  to  accompany 
us,  but  all  the  men  in  the  neighborhood  had  gone 
across  the  river  fishing  or  searching  for  wild  sweet- 
potatoes — so  their  wives  said.  We  then  went  to  K(^- 
bella  to  see  what  he  could  do  for  us,  but  found  him  in 
bed  with  fever,  and  had  to  wait  until  nearly  noon  be- 


32 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 


fore  we  could  see  him.  He  furnished  us  with  some 
men  and  a  canoe  ;  and  after  many  delays  we  finally 
launched  our  boat  on  the  lagoon,  and  began  searching 
for  the  dead  hippopotami. 

The  place  where  we  had  shot  them  the  day  before 
was  now  quite  changed.  Floating  islands  of  grass 
had  been  driven  by  the  wind  from  the  opposite  side  of 
the  water  ;  thus,  in  this  locality  the  lagoon  was  block- 
aded by  a  mass  of  floating  slough  grass,  which  gave  it 
the  appearance  of  a  swamp  instead  of  a  lake.  We 
hunted  high  and  low,  but  could  find  only  one  hippo- 
potamus. We  concluded  that  if  we  had  killed  more, 
the  natives  had  stolen  them  from  us,  as  their  going  off 
before  daylight  and  refusing  to  give  us  assistance  or 
canoes,  after  faithfully  promising  to  do  so,  gave  ample 
evidence. 

At  about  ten  o'clock  our  guides  called  our  attention 
to  a  noise  at  the  upper  end  of  the  lagoon.  It  was  the 
now  familiar  grunt  of  the  hippopotamus.  We  set  out 
in  pursuit,  but  had  to  do  considerable  searching  be- 
fore we  were  able  to  locate  the  herd.  We  cornered 
two  of  the  beasts,  and  I  put  several  shots  into  the 
head  of  one,  but  it  managed  to  become  entangled  in  a 
mass  of  floating  vegetation  before  dying.  The  others 
appeared  at  the  lower  end  of  the  lagoon  ;  and  we  chased 
them  for  about  an  hour,  getting  only  snap-shots  when- 
ever their  heads  came  to  the  surface.  We  found  it 
difficult  to  follow  them,  as,  upon  going  to  the  place 
where  they  had  last  been  seen,  we  again  observed  them 
several  hundred  yards  away  in  some  unexpected  di- 
rection. They  seemed  able  to  travel  rapidly  under 
water,  apparently  on  the  bottom  ;  and  in  deep  pools 
it  was  impossible  to  tell  which  way  they  were  moving. 
In  shallow  places,  however,  one  could  detect  the  course 
of  their  progress  by  the  disturbed  surface. 


A  FOETNIGHT  ON  THE  COANZA  EIVEE 


33 


The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  securing  sufficient  help 
to  drag  the  carcasses  out  of  the  swamp  were  so  great, 
and  the  intense  heat  of  the  tropical  sun  worked  de- 
struction on  the  tissues  of  the  bodies  so  rapidly,  that 
after  all  our  efforts  we  were  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment in  preserving  the  hides  as  museum  specimens. 

The  largest  mammal  skin  that  I  was  therefore  able 
to  secure  on  the  Coanza  was  that  of  a  "harnessed" 
antelope,  which  I  came  across  while  walking  through 
the  jungle  near  the  lagoon.  I  was  within  one  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  antelope  when  I  perceived  it.  Tak- 
ing careful  aim  at  its  shoulder  with  my  Ballard  rifle, 
I  fired.  The  animal  doubled  as  though  hit,  but  ran 
into  a  dense  thicket,  where  it  was  necessary  to  follow 
the  blood  spoor  on  hands  and  knees  along  a  narrow 
path.  The  creature  was  badly  wounded,  but  when- 
ever I  approached,  I  could  hear  it  run  through  the 
bushes.  Finally  getting  within  a  few  steps,  I  de- 
spatched it. 

Hearing  that  we  had  killed  an  antelope,  the  natives 
came  around  the  next  morning  to  see  us  skin  it,  ex- 
pecting, I  presume,  that  we  would  give  them  the  meat. 
No  fewer  than  two  hundred  men,  women,  and  children 
were  hanging  about  the  house,  all  jabbering  like  a  lot 
of  baboons.  We  sent  Rebella  a  nice  piece  of  meat, 
kept  what  we  wanted  for  our  own  use,  and  gave  the 
remainder  to  the  Kru-boys,  who  had  been  ready  to 
help  us  on  every  occasion. 

We  had  quite  lost  patience  with  the  Cunga  natives, 
and  their  loud  and  continuous  talking  had  become  a 
terrible  annoyance  to  us.  One  day  the  sailors  con- 
trived a  scheme  to  get  rid  of  them.  Clancy  put  a 
square  tin  can  on  a  box,  covered  it  over  with  black 
calico,  and  told  the  people  to  group  themselves  in 
front  of  the  building,  in  order  that  he  might  take  their 
3 


34  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


pictures,  just  as  Orr  had  been  doing.  He  spent  some 
time  in  arranging  them  in  position,  and  had  them  in- 
tently watching  the  black  cloth,  under  which  he  oc- 
casionally put  his  head  as  though  working  with  the 
camera.  In  the  meantime,  Dougherty  provided  him- 
self with  a  heavy  fowling-piece,  slipped  up  behind  the 
crowd  and  let  off  both  barrels.  Some  of  the  natives 
bounded  straight  into  the  air,  others  turned  somer- 
saults, while  still  others  rolled  over  on  the  ground  as 
though  killed.  The  victims  bolted  in  all  directions, 
without  stopping  for  a  moment  to  investigate  the  real 
cause  of  alarm.  No  amount  of  persuasion  thereafter 
could  convince  these  savages  that  the  camera  itself 
had  not  exploded.  In  consequence,  Mr.  Orr's  work 
in  anthropological  photography  suffered  serious  in- 
convenience. 

During  our  stay  at  Cunga  an  incident  occurred 
which  caused  much,  lamentation  among  the  native  in- 
habitants. It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  women, 
while  at  the  river  dipping  water,  to  be  taken  by  croco- 
diles. To  avoid  this  a  semicircular  pen  of  poles  was 
constructed  near  the  water' s  edge,  within  which  people 
could  bathe,  wash  clothes,  and  dip  water,  unmolested. 
Upon  the  afternoon  of  the  day  in  question,  a  woman 
while  thoughtlessly  filling  a  jar  just  outside  of  the 
pen  was  seized  by  a  crocodile.  The  brute  made 
straight  for  the  other  side  of  the  river,  swimming 
under  water.  When  about  half-way  across,  he  came 
to  the  surface,  lifted  the  body  out  of  the  water,  and 
shook  it.  Several  other  crocodiles  raised  their  heads 
and  swam  toward  him,  but  presently  they  all  dis- 
appeared. 

Knowing  well  their  habits,  the  natives  took  guns 
and  clubs  and  crossed  to  the  reptiles'  feeding-ground. 
There  they  waited  until  after  dark,  when  the  mis- 


A  FORTNIGHT  ON  THE  COANZA  RIVER  35 


creant,  accompanied  by  several  other  crocodiles,  sud- 
denly appeared,  dragging  the  body  of  the  woman 
out  upon  the  grass  to  have  a  feast.  The  negroes 
immediately  fell  upon  them,  and  by  clubbing,  yell- 
ing, and  firing  guns,  they  managed  to  drive  the  ani- 
mals away,  and  recover  the  body.  While  the  party 
was  crossing  the  river  on  the  way  back,  the  croc- 
odiles attacked  the  canoe  which  contained  the  dead 
body,  and  it  was  all  the  oarsmen  could  do  to  keep 
them  off  by  prodding  them  with  spears  and  sharp 
stakes. 

Clancy  happened  to  be  at  the  village  with  a  repeat- 
ing Winchester  when  the  hunters  returned.  The 
woman  was  badly  mutilated,  but  no  part  of  her  had 
been  eaten.  The  natives  gathered  around  the  corpse 
and  began  wailing.  One  of  the  men  suggested  that 
Clancy  should  shoot  into  the  river  and  kill  the  croco- 
dile ;  hence,  in  order  to  please  him,  the  sailor  rapidly 
fired  sixteen  shots  into  the  water.  Profound  excite- 
ment was  created  by  the  discharge  of  so  many  shots 
from  a  single  rifle  without  reloading.  The  people  all 
left  the  dead  body  and  ran  down  to  see  the  gun, 
which,  in  their  estimation,  was  entirely  exterminating 
the  reptilean  race  in  the  Coanza  River. 

The  next  morning,  with  body  painted  and  decorated, 
the  woman  was  put  on  exhibition.  She  was  placed  in 
a  sitting  posture  against  the  side  of  the  house,  under 
a  canopy  built  of  grass  and  palm  leaves.  To  the 
sound  of  the  drums  and  other  musical  instruments, 
a  dozen  dusky  females,  covered  with  paint,  danced 
about  her,  at  the  same  time  keeping  up  a  most  pitiful 
wailing.  In  the  afternoon  they  buried  the  woman  just 
back  of  our  house.  The  ceremony  was  accompanied 
with  hideous  shouting  and  wailing,  and  a  terrific  firing 
of  guns. 


36  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

Arthur  and  I  took  our  New  Year' s  dinner  with  Se- 
nhor  Rebella.  Among  the  guests  was  a  young  Eng- 
lishman, who  had  much  to  say  about  the  Zambesi 
country  in  southeast  Africa,  which  he  thought  prom- 
ised a  great  future.  He  had  just  come  from  Loanda, 
bringing  news  of  the  eclipse  party,  and  stating  that 
the  eclipse  had  been  a  failure  on  account  of  the  clouds. 
Our  ship  had  arrived  in  Saint  Paul,  and  was  to  sail  in 
a  few  days.  The  captain  had  telegraphed  for  us,  but 
for  some  reason  we  had  failed  to  receive  the  message. 
Had  we  not  met  this  young  man,  the  chances  are  that 
we  should  have  been  left  behind.  While  we  were  at 
the  table  a  crowd  of  natives  arrived  from  the  interior, 
carrying  a  trader  in  a  hammock.  They  seemed  happy 
at  seeing  their  old  friend,  Senhor  Rebella,  and  all 
aglow  with  perspiration,  they  crowded  in  front  of  the 
door  whistling,  yelling,  and  singing  Rebella's  praises. 

I  now  turned  my  attention  toward  obtaining  some 
native  looms  and  other  ethnological  specimens.  The 
negroes  who  had  Just  arrived,  possessed  many  inter- 
esting articles,  but  they  were  loath  to  part  with  them 
at  any  price.  Finally,  however,  Rebella  ordered  them 
to  take  the  objects  to  our  house  and  accept  fair  com- 
pensation, and  this  they  did. 

The  next  day  we  spent  in  packing  our  collections, 
and  early  on  January  3d,  after  wishing  long  life  and 
prosperity  to  our  good  friend  Senhor  Rebella,  we  left 
for  Saint  Paul  de  Loanda.  We  arrived  safely  at  the 
coast,  got  our  specimens  aboard  the  Pensacola,  and 
on  January  5  th  sailed  for  Cape  Town. 


CHAPTER  IV 


CAPE  TOWN  AND  BRITISH  COLONIAL  EXPANSION 

Two  Varieties  of  African  Fever — Arrival  at  Cape  Town — A 
Trip  to  the  Top  of  Table  Mountain — Malays — Hideous 
Howling  of  a  Hottentot — A  Unique  Method  of  Fishing — 
We  Hear  that  Ophir  has  been  Rediscovered — Boundaries 
of  the  New  Land — The  Rudd-Rhodes  Concession,"  and 
the  Formation  of  the  British  South  Africa  Company — Two 
Members  of  the  Eclipse  Party  Join  the  Pioneer  Expedi- 
tion. 

Our  short  sojourn  on  tlie  Coanza  River  met  to  some 
extent  with  the  evil  results  predicted  by  our  friends 
on  board  the  Pensacola.  Ludwig,  Clancy,  and  Dough- 
erty were  taken  aboard  the  ship  prostrate  with  fever, 
and  some  months  elapsed  before  they  completely  re- 
covered from  its  ill  effects.  My  brother  escaped.  He 
wrote  home  thus  :  "  The  doctors  had  warned  me  and 
given  me  advice  in  regard  to  African  fever,  till  they 
had  me  nearly  scared  to  death.  I  was  afraid  to  go 
ashore,  apprehensive  of  dire  results.  But  I  am  glad 
that  I  did  heed  the  advice  of  the  physicians,  because, 
by  being  careful  and  taking  plenty  of  quinine,  I  man- 
aged to  escape  the  fever.  In  fact,  I  am  the  only  one 
of  the  party  that  went  to  the  interior  who  did  not 
come  down  with  the  malaria." 

For  my  own  part,  I  became  so  disgusted  with  hear- 
ing about  the  dangers  of  African  fever,  that  I  drew 

37 


38 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


the  erroneous  conclusion  that,  after  all,  it  results  more 
from  fear  than  from  the  actual  ravages  of  the  malarial 
microbe.  In  consequence  of  acting  upon  this  theory, 
I  took  no  precautionary  measures,  and  exposed  myself 
needlessly  to  the  miasma  of  the  swamps.  The  inevita- 
ble consequences  were  visited  upon  me.  No  sooner 
had  we  weighed  anchor,  than  I  found  myself  stricken 
with  fever,  and  I  lay  in  a  miserable  state  for  some 
da3^s.  Thanks  to  the  kind  and  excellent  attention  of 
Dr.  White,  head  surgeon  of  the  Pensacola^  who  dosed 
me  with  copious,  if  not  agreeable,  draughts  of  War- 
burg's Tincture,  my  illness  proved  of  short  duration. 

And  then  another  form  of  African  fever  attacked  me. 
It  was  an  irresistible  longing  to  penetrate  the  Dark 
Continent  for  purposes  of  exploration,  and  of  observ- 
ing both  man  and  nature.  As  I  sat  upon  the  deck, 
viewing  the  panoramic  receding  of  the  sandy  shores 
of  Damara  Land,  the  melancholy  which  usually  comes 
over  a  convalescent  fever  patient  seemed  actually  to 
fan  into  burning  my  desire  to  see  what  lay  beyond 
the  sand-dunes  of  the  coast.  Little  did  I  dream,  how- 
ever, that  seven  long  years  would  be  spent  amid  the 
thrilling  scenes  and  episodes  of  the  early  settlement  of 
a  vast  country  which  lay  a  thousand  miles  to  the  east 
of  those  sand-dunes. 

Although  much  literature  concerning  South  Africa 
has  appeared  during  the  last  few  years,  doubtless 
there  are  many  Americans  who  still  entertain  vague 
ideas  as  to  the  state  of  civilization  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  Regarding  Africa  generally,  we  usually  think 
of  it  as  a  wild,  half -explored  country  ;  but  whoever 
applies  that  idea  to  Cape  Town  would  be  surprised,  as 
I  was,  upon  landing  there  to  find  it  a  place  where  it 
takes  but  little  imagination  to  think  one's  self  in  one's 
own  country. 


CAPE  TOWN  AND  BRITISH  COLONIAL  EXPANSION  39 

As  the  Pensacola  sailed  into  Table  Bay,  everyone 
viewed  with  admiration  the  picturesque  surroundings 
of  the  city,  nestled  under  the  shelter  of  Table  Moun- 
tain. When  the  ship  dropped  anchor  on  the  even- 
ing of  January  17th,  the  wind  was  blowing  down  from 
the  mountain  with  great  force.  This  was  one  of  the 
''Southeasters,"  as  they  are  called,  that  occur  quite 
frequently  during  a  portion  of  the  year.  They  begin 
in  the  afternoon,  and  toward  evening  become  intense, 
subsiding  during  the  night.  This  wind  is  not  only 
disagreeable  because  of  the  dust  and  gravel  which  it 
blows  into  people's  faces,  but  it  renders  unsafe  a  jour- 
ney in  boats  between  the  shore  and  the  ships  anchored 
in  the  bay.  Before  the  breakwater  was  built,  vessels 
were  often  obliged  to  leave  their  moorings  and  to  put 
out  to  sea  for  safety. 

The  morning  of  the  18th  was  beautiful,  and  our 
appreciation  of  its  charms  was  intensified  when  the 
screams  of  locomotives  announced  that  we  were  again 
in  civilization.  It  was  midsummer,  and  the  delicious 
grapes,  pears,  and  other  fruit  brought  in  boats  to  the 
ship  added  greatly  to  our  enjoyment.  Those  eager  to 
go  ashore  went  in  the  first  boat,  and  among  them  my 
brother  Arthur.  Hearing  that  the  President  of  the 
Orange  Free  State,  who  was  then  in  Cape  Town  on  his 
wedding  tour,  and  who  was  desirous  of  meeting  people 
of  another  republic,  was  to  be  given  a  reception  at 
eleven  o'clock  on  shipboard,  I  decided  not  to  go 
ashore  until  after  dinner.  I  was  well  repaid  for  re- 
maining, for  besides  the  satisfaction  of  being  present 
at  the  reception,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  observing  the 
wonderful  acoustic  effect  which  the  firing  of  cannon 
in  saluting  the  British  flag  made  upon  the  side  of  the 
mountain.  The  echoes  reverberated  back  and  forth, 
and  continued  in  intensity  for  a  considerable  time 


40 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


after  the  discharge  of  each  shot.  One  can  but  think 
that  a  thunder-storm  in  Cape  Town  must  be  tremen- 
dous ;  but  I  was  told  that  thunder  is  seldom  heard 
there. 

The  first  Sunday  after  arriving,  four  of  our  party 
procured  a  guide  and  made  the  ascent  of  Table  Moun- 
tain, which  rises  3,600  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
We  climbed  the  side  next  the  city,  which  is  so  steep 
that  we  were  often  obliged  to  use  hands  as  well  as  feet. 
On  the  way  we  scared  up  some  pheasants  and  an  ante- 
lope. I  was  about  ten  yards  in  advance  of  my  com- 
panions, w^hen  a  little  creature  came  toward  me  along 
the  path.  I  thought  it  was  a  small  yellow  dog,  but 
when  it  sprang  past  within  seven  feet  of  me — so  near  I 
could  easily  have  reached  it  with  my  butterfly  net — I 
saw  that  it  was  a  tiny  antelope  called  a  grysbuck.  The 
morning  was  beautifally  clear,  and  we  anticipated 
a  magnificent  view  from  the  top,  but  before  we  were 
two-thirds  of  the  way  up,  we  were  enveloped  in  the 
misty  folds  of  the  ^' Table  Cloth,"  a  mass  of  fleecy 
white  clouds  which  often  covers  the  entire  top  of  the 
mountain.  It  is  dangerous  to  be  on  this  lofty  elevation 
when  the  clouds  cover  it,  as  one  is  liable  to  lose  one's 
life  by  falling  from  some  steep  cliff.  However,  as  we 
were  so  near  the  summit  we  decided  to  go  on,  and  were 
soon  completely  enshrouded  in  mist. 

I  never  saw  plants  of  various  kinds  more  plentiful 
than  they  were  on  the  sides  of  this  famous  mountain, 
and  yet  we  were  told  that  it  was  not  the  season  when 
they  are  most  abundant.  Many  varieties  grow  there 
which  do  not  occur  elsewhere,  and  it  is  a  particularly 
notable  place  for  orchids.  After  eating  our  luncheon, 
we  drank  of  the  pure  cold  water  from  one  of  the  small 
Jakes  on  the  mountain-top.  Owing  to  the  great  amount 
of  moisture  condensed  at  this  elevation,  a  never-failing 


CAPE  TOWN  AND  BRITISH  COLONIAL  EXPANSION  41 

supply  of  the  purest  and  coldest  water  is  furnished 
the  city  from  this  natural  reservoir  in  the  clouds. 

On  our  return  trip,  we  gathered  many  of  the  beautiful 
silver  leaves  of  the  Silver  Tree  {Leucadendron  argen- 
teum\  which  is  plentiful  there,  and  is  said  to  be  pe- 
culiar to  the  Cape.  It  grows  at  a  certain  altitude  and 
rarely  lower.  The  trees  are  not  large,  and  are  most 
numerous  on  a  neighboring  mountain  called  the  Lion's 
Head.  The  light  color  of  their  leaves  is  in  striking 
contrast  with  the  bluish  tint  of  most  of  the  foliage  of 
the  locality,  the  bluish  appearance  being  due  to  the 
presence  of  wax  on  the  leaves,  which  serves  to  retain 
the  moisture  during  the  dry  season. 

The  main  portion  of  Cape  Town  is  situated  in  the 
bend  of  the  harbor,  and  the  streets  are  laid  out  at 
right  angles  to  each  other.  The  buildings  are  mostly 
of  brick,  plastered  outside.  The  suburbs  extend  far 
out  in  two  directions — to  Sea  Point  and  nearly  to  Si- 
mon's Bay.  The  population  is  made  up  of  English, 
Dutch,  Malays,  and  negroes. 

The  Malays  constitute  the  larger  part  of  the  labor- 
ing classes.  Originally  they  were  brought  there  as 
slaves  by  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  and  they 
are  now  the  harness-makers,  cab-drivers,  and  fishermen 
of  the  community.  They  dress  well,  and  appear  to  be 
prosperous  and  contented.  As  a  rule,  they  do  not 
work  more  than  five  days  in  the  week,  the  others  be- 
ing spent  as  holidays,  on  which  they  go  picnicking, 
often  to  the  great  inconvenience  of  the  white  inhabi- 
tants who  need  their  services.  They  were  freed  from 
slavery  in  1834,  when  the  English  emancipated  all  their 
slaves.  Their  language  is  Dutch,  but  the  young  men 
are  rapidly  acquiring  the  English  tongue.  In  religion 
they  are  Mohammedans,  and  hence  there  are  several 
mosques  in  the  city.    Many  go  annually  as  pilgrims 


42  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

to  Mecca.  The  women  dress  in  Moslem  style,  and 
seem  to  have  a  preference  for  blue  and  gold,  and  vari- 
ous other  gaudy  colors.  By  their  religion  the  men  are 
allowed  from  one  to  seven  wives,  and  some  of  them 
avail  themselves  of  this  privilege,  with  which  the  Cape 
authorities  do  not  interfere.  It  is  not  unusual  for  a 
Malay  to  have  two  or  more  wives,  according  to  his 
ability  to  support  them. 

Of  colored  people  called  Hottentots,  there  is  a  goodly 
number,  but  we  saw  few  genuine  negroes.  On  one  of 
my  rambles  I  heard  what  I  thought  was  a  hyena  howl- 
ing, but  when  I  traced  the  sound  to  its  source,  I  found 
that  it  came  from  a  Hottentot  who  was  leaning  against 
a  tree  and  making  day  hideous.  I  was  informed  that  it 
was  not  uncommon  to  hear  these  natives  howl  in  this 
way,  and  that  they  exercise  their  voices  most  on  rainy 
days.  In  answer  to  the  question  why  they  howl  at 
all,  I  was  told  (the  reader  may  take  all  this  for  what  he 
deems  it  worth)  that  these  eccentric  creatures  want 
people  to  know  that  they  are  not  yet  an  extinct  race. 

The  important  places  of  interest  in  Cape  Town  are 
the  Botanical  Gardens,  the  Museum,  the  House  of 
Parliament,  and  the  Royal  Observatory.  Saturday  is 
the  great  market  day,  when  auctions  of  various  kinds 
are  held  on  the  parade  ground.  The  early  morning 
market  is  the  most  interesting,  as  there  the  country 
people  offer  their  various  products  for  sale  from  their 
wagons  and  carts.  Some  of  the  wagons  for  hauling 
wheat  and  oats  are  very  large,  and  are  drawn  by  six- 
teen oxen. 

Fish  are  more  abundant  at  Cape  Town  than  at  any 
port  I  have  yet  visited.  During  the  first  part  of  our 
stay,  the  water  was  pumped  out  of  the  dry  dock, 
which  was  about  fifty  feet  in  breadth  by  five  hun- 
dred in  length.    Immense  numbers  of  fish  were  thus 


CAPE  TOWN  AND  BRITISH  COLONIAL  EXPANSION  43 

caught  in  the  dock.  For  several  hours  people  came 
by  hundreds  to  supply  themselves.  One  abundant 
variety  of  v^hich  the  inhabitants  of  the  Cape  seemed 
to  make  but  little  use,  was  a  species  of  mackerel  equal 
in  flavor  and  quality  to  the  mackerel  of  the  North  At- 
lantic. After  all  Cape  Town  had  been  satisfied,  the 
authorities  had  over  sixty  tons  of  edible  fish  removed 
and  thrown  into  the  ocean.  Fifty  men  were  engaged 
sixteen  hours  in  that  strange  work. 

At  the  time  of  our  visit  at  the  Cape,  people  there 
were  intensely  interested  regarding  the  "  fabulous  gold 
fields  of  a  coming  country,"  which  no  one  seemed  to 
doubt  for  a  moment  was  the  veritable  ' '  Land  of  Ophir.' ' 
One  continually  heard  references  to  Rhodes,"  ''Char- 
tered Company,"  ''Matabeleland,"  and  ''Lo  Ben- 
gula,"  and  such  expressions  as  "disaster,"  ''  success," 
and  "annihilation."  From  various  sources  of  infor- 
mation we  were  soon  able  to  gain  a  fair  understanding 
of  the  situation  of  affairs  in  South  Africa. 

To  the  north,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Zambesi 
E-iver,  lay  a  country,  healthful,  rich  in  mineral  de- 
posits, inhabited  in  ancient  times  by  some  unknown 
though  civilized  race,  but  now  in  the  hands  of  a  sav- 
age potentate,  called  Lo  Bengula.  This  unclaimed  ter- 
ritory covered  an  area  almost  equal  in  extent  to  the 
combined  countries  of  Germany  and  France.  To  the 
westward  lay  Portuguese  Angola,  and  the  recently 
acquired  German  territory  of  Damaraland.  The  Congo 
Free  State  formed  the  northern  boundary  of  this  vast 
expanse,  while  Portuguese  East  Africa  separated  it 
from  the  Indian  Ocean.  On  its  southern  border  was 
the  South  African  Kepublic  (Transvaal)  and  British 
Bechuanaland.  South  of  these  were  the  Orange  Free 
State  and  the  British  provinces  of  Cape  Colony,  Natal, 
Zululand,  and  Basutoland. 


44 


OX  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEOXTIER 


The  wealtli  revealed  in  diamonds  and  gold  had  at- 
tracted the  eyes  of  the  world  to  South  Africa.  For 
several  3^ears  the  nnclaimed  region  in  question  had 
been  eagerly  coveted  by  Boers,  Germans,  British,  and 
Portuguese.  Either  because  they  could  not,  or  dared 
not,  none  of  these  powers  had  taken  possession.  Nev- 
ertheless, this  rich  domain  might,  long  ere  this,  have 
been  divided  among  the  South  African  Republic, 
Germany,  and  Portugal,  had  not  the  distinguished 
South  African  statesman,  Mr.  Cecil  Rhodes,  turned 
his  energies  to  securing  it  for  the  British  Empire. 

In  October,  1888,  three  loyal  British  subjects,  sent 
by  Mr.  Rhodes,  visited  Lo  Bengula  and  obtained  from 
him  a  concession  known  as  the  '*  Rudd-Rhodes  Con- 
cession," in  which  the  said  Lo  Bengula,  King  of  Ma- 
tabeleland,  Mashonaland,  and  other  adjoining  terri- 
tories, in  consideration  of  receiving  a  pension  of  one 
hundred  pounds  sterling  per  month,  one  thousand 
Martini-Henry  rifles,  one  hundred  thousand  rounds  of 
cartridges,  and  a  steamboat  on  the  Zambesi  River,  or 
five  hundred  pounds  sterling  in  lieu  thereof,  granted 
to  the  concessionaires  and  their  assigns,  "the  com- 
plete and  exclusive  charge  over  all  metals  and  miner- 
als situated  and  contained  in  his  Kingdoms,  Principal- 
ities, and  Dominions,  together  v»'ith  full  power  to  do 
all  things  which  they  may  deem  necessary  to  win  and 
procure  the  same.''  "With  this  concession  and  a  few 
minor  ones,  a  company  was  formed  in  London,  known 
as  the  British  South  Africa  Compan}',  with  a  capital 
of  one  million  pounds  sterling.  In  October,  1889,  it 
received  a  Royal  Charter,  which  empowered  the  com- 
pany inter  alia  "to  carry  into  effect  divers  concessions 
and  agreements  which  have  been  made  by  certain  of  the 
chiefs  and  tribes  inhabiting  the  said  region,  or  else- 
where in  Africa,  with  a  view  of  promoting  trade,  com- 


CAPE  TOWN  AND  BRITISH  COLONIAL  EXPANSION  45 


merce,  civilization,  and  good  government  in  the  terri- 
tories which  are  or  may  be  comprised  or  referred  to  in 
such  concessions."  Hence,  during  the  first  months  of 
the  year  1890,  an  expedition  was  in  course  of  organi- 
zation by  the  British  South  Africa  Company,  to  pro- 
ceed to  Lo  Bengula's  country  in  order  ^'  to  carry  into 
effect"  the  "full  power  to  do  all  things  which  they 
may  deem  necessary,"  as  stipulated  in  Lo  Bengula's 
concession. 

One  enterprising  member  of  the  eclipse  party,  Mr. 
C.  A.  Orr,  was  seized  with  the  impulse  to  join  this  ex- 
pedition in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  excellent 
opportunities  which  it  would  afford  for  continuing  his 
researches  in  African  anthropology.  Needless  to  say, 
I  was  affected  in  much  the  same  way.  Our  American 
Consul,  Captain  G.  F.  Hollis,  conferred  on  our  behalf 
with  Mr.  Rhodes,  who  expressed  himself  as  agreeable 
to  having  two  young  Americans  join  the  expedition.  I 
had  made  the  acquaintance  in  Cape  Town  of  an  excel- 
lent man,  who  had  been  born  and  reared  among  the 
Zulus,  Mr.  J.  B.  Lindley,  son  of  the  Eeverend  Daniel 
Lindley,  a  celebrated  American  missionary,  who,  in  the 
early  days,  went  with  his  wife  to  Zululand,  and  spent 
his  noble  life  in  disseminating  the  Word  of  God  among 
the  heathen.  I  therefore  took  counsel  with  Mr.  Lind- 
ley, concerning  the  advisability  of  accompanying  the 
expedition.  He  said  to  me,  "Go,  by  all  means.  You 
will  have  splendid  opportunities  for  collecting  natural 
history  specimens,  especially  of  the  large  and  impor- 
tant game  animals.  Doubtless  the  Matabeles  will  tight 
when  they  see  an  armed  force  coming  into  their  coun- 
try, but  you  may  rest  assured  that  if  you  bring  down 
a  hundred  of  those  blood-thirsty  fiends  with  your  own 
rifle,  you  will  be  doing  humanity  a  grand  service!" 
This  advice,  coming  from  so  reliable  a  source,  was 


46 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


sufficient  to  dispel  any  scruples  that  might  be  enter- 
tained against  encroaching  upon  the  preserves  of  the 
aborigines.  Moreover,  I  had  heard  enough  concerning 
the  brutal  butcheries  committed  by  the  Matabeles 
among  weaker  tribes  to  be  in  full  sympathy  with  any 
movement  which  might  ultimately  result  in  putting  an 
end  to  such  atrocities. 

Mr.  Lindley  referred  me  to  Major  Frank  Johnson, 
who  was  organizing  what  was  called  the  Pioneer  Corps, 
which  was  to  go  in  advance  of  the  British  South  Africa 
Company's  Police  in  order  to  cut  a  road  into  that  part 
of  Lo  Bengula's  possessions  known  as  Mashonaland. 
Its  members  were  to  become  the  first  settlers  of  the 
country.  I  explained  to  Major  Johnson  my  desire  to 
accompany  the  expedition.  Being  himself  an  ardent 
sportsman,  he  at  once  took  a  lively  interest  in  my 
plans,  and  was  enthusiastic  and  sanguine  concerning 
the  possibilities  for  a  zoological  collector  in  Mashona- 
land. He  offered  me  every  facility  possible  if  I  should 
join  the  expedition ;  and  not  only  did  he  subsequently 
aid  me  to  the  full  extent  of  his  promises,  but  he  went 
far  beyond  my  expectations  in  rendering  assistance  in 
my  work  after  we  arrived  at  our  destination. 

The  Pensacola  was  to  remain  at  Cape  Town  so  short 
a  time,  that  it  was  impossible  to  communicate  with  the 
Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  concerning 
my  proposed  trip.  The  matter  was  laid  before  the 
Director  and  older  members  of  the  eclipse  party,  and 
received  their  hearty  approval.  Written  permission 
was  therefore  given  me  by  the  Director  of  the  Eclipse 
Expedition,  and  by  the  Captain  of  the  Pensacola  to 
take  leave  of  the  ship  and  proceed  to  Mashonaland 
for  the  purpose  of  making  collections  in  zoology  and 
ethnology.  It  was  understood,  however,  that  I  should 
proceed  upon  my  own  resources  until  such  time  as  the 


CAPE  TOWN  AND  BRITISH  COLONIAL  EXPANSION  47 

Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  could  be  conferred  with, 
and  the  financial  aid  of  that  institution  could  be  guar- 
anteed. On  the  6th  of  February  the  Pensacola  set 
sail  on  her  homeward  voyage,  leaving  behind  Professor 
L.  H.  Jacoby  to  pursue  work  at  the  Koyal  Observatory, 
and  Mr.  Orr  and  myself  to  take  our  chances  witli  the 
expedition  to  the  north.  The  next  two  months  were 
spent  by  me  at  Cape  Town  in  perusing  African  litera- 
ture, with  which  the  Cape  Town  library  is  excellently 
equipped,  and  in  doing  target  practice  at  the  Maitland 
rifle  range,  perfecting  my  marksmanship  for  the  pur- 
pose of  slaying  those  creatures  of  the  wilderness  whose 
skins  and  skeletons  might  form  valuable  additions 
to  the  collections  adorning  the  halls  of  the  National 
Museum  at  Washington. 


CHAPTER  V 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 

Conditions  of  Enlistment  in  the  Pioneer  Corps — The  Start — 
Crossing  the  Karroo — Beyond  the  Orange  River — Arrival 
at  Kimberley — Roughing  it  "  on  Rhodes's  Farm — The 
Diamond  Mines — We  Set  Out  for  Mafeking — Drollery  of 
the  Bluejackets  —  Discomforts  of  Soldiering  —  Travel- 
ling by  Ox  Wagons — Hunting  Springbuck  Antelope — The- 
Country  and  its  Farms — African  Method  of  Branding 
Cattle— Taungs— A  Walking  Match  with  Herbert— Mafe- 
king. 

The  reader  is  doubtless  familiar  with  the  story  of 
the  man  who  was  prepared  to  give  seven  reasons  for 
his  father's  non-appearance  at  court,  the  first  one — 
that  he  was  dead — being  considered  sufficient.  There 
were  also  several  reasons  why  I  became  a  trooper  in 
the  Pioneer  Corps,  the  first  of  which  was  that  I  was 
obliged  either  to  go  as  a  trooper  or  remain  behind  ; 
for  it  had  been  settled  that  no  one  could  accompany 
the  expedition  except  under  military  control.  This 
was  in  no  way  compromising  to  my  standing  as  an 
American  citizen,  for  we  were  not  required  to  swear 
allegiance  to  the  Queen.  We  merely  signed  a  six 
months'  contract  with  Messrs.  Johnson,  Heany  & 
Borrow,  which  was  similar  to  any  ordinary  contract 
of  service,  with  the  added  stipulation  that  the  em- 
ployee place  himself  under  military  discipline.  Con- 

48 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 


49 


sidering  the  seriousness  of  the  undertaking,  this  was 
a  very  proper  thing  to  do.  It  seemed  odd,  however, 
to  see  civilian  corporals  and  sergeants  giving  orders  to 
retired  British  officers  from  both  army  and  navy. 
Many  of  the  latter  had  cast  their  lot  with  the  Pioneer 
troopers  for  the  chance  of  adventure  and  fortune,  led 
by  the  enthusiasm  which  age  seems  never  to  dampen 
in  the  hearts  of  that  people  on  whose  empire  the  sun 
never  sets.  Better  blood  cannot  be  found  in  the 
British  Empire  than  coursed  in  the  veins  of  the  Pio- 
neers. Fearlessness  of  character  and  determined  reso- 
lution were  the  qualities  required  of  men  who  were 
considered  fit  to  meet  the  uncertainties  that  lay  before 
them.  During  that  year  and  those  which  followed, 
they  battled  manfully  against  all  the  discouragements 
and  reverses  involved  in  the  founding  of  a  new  empire. 
Through  inclemency  of  climate,  privation,  massacre, 
and  war,  nearly  half  their  number  now  sleep  the 
sleep  that  knows  no  waking." 

On  the  evening  of  April  15th,  amid  cheers,  singing, 
and  Godspeeds  from  the  crowd  that  had  gathered  to 
bid  their  friends  farewell,  the  train  moved  from  the 
Cape  Town  railway  station,  carrying  with  it  a  portion 
of  the  Pioneer  Corps.  At  Kimberley,  about  six  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles  distant,  we  were  to  be  joined  by 
a  party  of  young  Colonials  from  the  Eastern  Province 
of  Cape  Colony.  Then  we  were  to  move  to  Maf eking, 
two  hundred  and  thirty  miles  farther,  which  was  at 
that  time  the  frontier,  where  still  another  contingent, 
from  Johannesburg,  was  to  join  us. 

By  the  following  morning,  our  train  had  crossed  the 
Hex  River  Mountains,  and  during  the  entire  day  we 
travelled  through  a  desolate-looking,  treeless  coun- 
try covered  with  scrubby  bushes  and  plants.  It  was 
the  region  known  as  the  Karroo,  and  its  bushes  are 
4 


50 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


nourishing  to  slieep,  many  flocks  of  which  we  saw  as 
we  sped  along.  The  17th  of  April  brought  with  it 
a  beautiful  sunrise  and  an  atmosphere  cool  and  brac- 
ing. The  scenery  all  day  long  reminded  me  strongly 
of  portions  of  Montana,  Western  Kansas,  Colorado, 
and  New  Mexico.  Numerous  flocks  of  sheep  and 
herds  of  cattle  were  to  be  seen.  The  mud  houses 
forming  the  residences  of  the  ranchers  looked  decid- 
edly Mexican,  but  there  were  no  cowboys,  greasers, 
or  broncos. 

During  the  forenoon  we  travelled  over  level  country, 
with  here  and  there  flat-topped  hills.  The  soil  was  thin 
and  of  a  reddish  color,  underlaid  by  a  bed  of  rock. 
Scattered  over  the  plains  were  many  dome-shaped  ant- 
hills, two  or  three  feet  in  height.  The  banks  of  the 
Orange  River  were  composed  of  coarse  gravel  and 
were  lined  with  small  trees  and  bushes.  To  the  north 
of  this  the  country  assumed  a  more  fertile  appear- 
ance, while  flocks  and  herds  became  numerous.  The 
houses  were  substantial-looking  structures  with  gable 
roofs  ;  but  their  appearance  was  much  marred  by  hav- 
ing near  them  small  round  huts,  built  of  stone  and 
covered  over  with  ragged  cloths,  which  formed  the 
quarters  of  the  Kafir  servants.  As  we  approached  the 
Modder  River,  we  came  to  undulating  prairies,  and 
then  to  a  broad  plain,  sloping  gradually  down  to  the 
river,  which  was  skirted  by  trees.  The  plain  was  cov- 
ered with  ripe  white  grass  about  eighteen  inches  in 
height,  extremely  beautiful  in  appearance  as  it  bent  in 
waves  and  ripples  to  the  pressure  of  the  breeze.  Here 
and  there  were  small  patches  of  low  bushes,  their 
leaves  covered  with  white  fuzz. 

Along  the  railway  were  numerous  water-holes,  and 
as  we  neared  Kimberley,  we  saw  many  Kafir  women 
washing  clothes  in  them.    Our  attention  was  next 


FEOM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 


51 


turned  to  a  sportive  crowd  gathered  on  an  English- 
looking  race-course.  Presently  immense  mounds  of 
earth,  appearing  like  small  barren  hills,  came  into 
view.  They  were  heaps  of  blue  clay  from  the  Bult- 
fontein  diamond  mine,  said  to  be  the  first  of  its  kind 
opened  in  Africa. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  arrived  at 
Kimberley,  an  English-speaking  town,  which  is  said  to 
contain  10,000  inhabitants.  Its  houses  of  wood  and 
corrugated  iron  were  quite  unimposing,  and  there 
was  nothing  in  the  architectural  ap]3Garance  of  the 
place  that  would  impress  one  with  the  fact  that  it  is 
the  site  of  the  richest  diamond  mines  in  the  world. 
The  town  was  gayly  decorated  in  honor  of  a  visit  from 
the  Governor  of  the  Cape  Colony,  Sir  Henry  Loch. 

A  train  of  wagons  had  been  provided  to  convey  the 
Pioneers  to  Rhodes' s  farm,  three  miles  outside  of 
Kimberley.  Here  ^'roughing  it"  began  in  earnest, 
and  for  the  first  time  it  dawned  upon  me  that  I  was 
really  a  soldier.  When  the  corporals  and  sergeants 
began  gruffly  to  order  me  about,  I  felt  as  if  my  rights 
as  an  American  citizen  were  being  trampled  upon ; 
but  it  was  now  too  late  to  turn  back,  even  if  I  should 
desire  to  do  so,  and  the  only  thing  remaining  was  to 
grit  my  teeth  and  bear  it.  I  have  since  concluded 
that  a  little  military  training  is  a  good  thing  for  any 
young  man,  for  it  brings  him  to  a  full  realization  of 
the  fact  that  he  cannot  always  have  his  own  way.  It 
teaches  patience,  and  the  necessity  of  obedience  to  law. 

Our  first  issue  of  rations  consisted  of  raw  beef,  bread, 
and  coffee.  The  old  hands  at  soldiering  grumbled,  the 
new  hands  appeared  bewildered ;  but  all  set  to  work 
to  cook  the  beef.  Some  threw  strips  of  it  on  the  hot 
coals,  while  others  fried  it  on  spades,  or  grilled  it  on 
gridirons,  if  they  were  so  fortunate  as  to  have  them. 


52  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAX  FRONTIER 

Having  been  furnished  with  blankets  and  a  water- 
proof sheet,  we  went  to  sleep  on  the  ground,  which 
was  to  be  our  only  bed  for  months  to  come. 

I  was  intensely  interested  in  watching  the  process 
of  working  the  "blue  ground"  which  contains  the 
diamonds.  It  is  hauled  from  the  mines  into  fields 
enclosed  by  high  wire  fences,  where  the  hard,  diamond- 
bearing  rock  is  left  for  months  exposed  to  the  atmos- 
phere, to  be  pulverized  by  sun  and  rain.  Its  disinte- 
gration is  assisted  by  dragging  harrows  across  it,  as 
though  preparing  a  field  for  sowing  grain.  When 
softened,  it  is  run  through  machines  which  separate 
the  diamonds  from  the  clay,  and  sort  them  into  four 
sizes,  to  be  afterward  examined  by  skilful  experts, 
and  classified  according  to  quality.  Near  at  hand 
were  numerous  mounds  made  by  the  debris  left  after 
the  diamonds  had  been  extracted. 

Our  time  was  too  limited  to  admit  of  descending  into 
the  mines.  The  Kimberley  mine  had  only  a  wire  fence 
around  it,  and  I  could  look  down  into  this  tremendous 
excavation,  which  is  the  largest  ever  made  by  the 
avaricious  hand  of  man.  Its  surface  area  is  more  than 
fourteen  acres,  while  it  reaches  a  depth  of  nearly  five 
hundred  feet !  I  saw  about  fifty  pigmy-like  negroes 
at  work  in  the  bottom,  trying  to  recover  the  bodies  of 
several  Kafirs  who  had  been  buried  two  months  before 
by  the  accidental  caving  in  of  the  surrounding  walls. 
On  account  of  the  danger  from  this  source,  the  system 
of  open  workings,  with  its  net-work  of  cables  for  car- 
rying up  the  earth,  had  been  recently  abandoned. 
Shafts  are  now  sunk  outside  the  large  excavations,  and 
transverse  drives  are  made  into  the  diamondiferous 
rock  at  depths  varying  from  500  to  1,200  feet.  In 
1890  the  Kimberley  mine  was  temporaril}^  closed  on 
account  of  the  over-supply  of  diamonds  on  the  market. 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 


53 


Four  large  mines  are  situated  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Kimberley,  mz.:  the  De  Beers,  the  Kimberley,  the 
Bultfontein,  and  the  Du  Toits  Pan.  The  two  former 
are  in  the  middle  of  the  town.  These  four  mines,  to- 
gether wath  a  few  smaller  ones,  were  united  in  1888 
under  one  company  called  the  De  Beers  Diamond  Min- 
ing Company,  which  became  sufficiently  powerful  to 
control  the  diamond  market  of  the  world.  This  con- 
summation was  reached  through  a  series  of  stages,  be- 
ginning with  the  individual  holding  of  small  claims. 
Then,  as  the  mines  grew  deeper,  and  their  working- 
became  more  and  more  difficult  and  expensive,  small 
companies  were  formed  which  were  gradually  com- 
bined into  larger  ones,  until  they  were  at  last  amalga- 
mated into  one  powerful  corporation. 

Inasmuch  as  Mr.  Rhodes  was  chiefly  instrumental 
in  bringing  about  the  final  union  of  the  companies,  he 
was  bitterly  denounced  by  many  as  having  ruined  the 
prosperity  of  Kimberley.  It  is  questionable,  how- 
ever, even  if  this  growth  had  ended  in  four  or  more 
companies  instead  of  one,  whether  the  effect  upon  the 
town  of  Kimberley  could  have  been  essentially  dif- 
ferent. The  time  for  making  fortunes  is  during  the 
early  days  of  a  mining  camp,  whether  the  discovery 
be  of  diamonds,  gold,  or  silver.  The  finding  of  pre- 
cious stones  and  metals  brings  a  sudden  influx  of 
population.  Activity  ensues.  The  few  make  fortunes 
and  the  many  are  disappointed.  Companies  are 
formed,  properties  acquired,  mines  developed,  and 
the  industry  settles  down  to  business  methods  of 
working.  It  usually  happens  that  a  percentage  of  the 
mines  discovered  prove  unprofitable,  and  their  work- 
ing ceases.  Hence,  owing  to  this  factor,  together  with 
the  formation  of  combines,  employment  is  restricted, 
depression  follows,  and  immigration  is  checked. 


54  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


In  South  Africa  one  hears  the  complaint  that  the 
Colonial  Government  does  not  receive  the  benefit  it 
should  in  taxation  from  the  diamond  industry  which 
is  so  remunerative  to  the  share-holders  of  the  De  Beers 
Company.  The  Cape  Colony  has  "responsible  gov- 
ernment," hence  it  is  in  the  hands  of  its  citizens  to 
make  laws  beneficial  to  their  province.  May  it  not  be 
that  corporate  wealth  wields  an  influence  in  the  for- 
mation of  laws  in  the  African  portion  of  the  Brit- 
ish Empire  as  well  as  in  the  land  of  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  ? 

On  the  afternoon  of  April  18th  the  Pioneer  Corps 
was  reviewed  and  addressed  by  Governor  Loch.  He 
expressed  his  desire  for  the  prosperity  of  the  expedi- 
tion. "It  means,"  said  he,  "not  only  the  prosperity 
of  the  members  of  the  expedition,  but  the  prosperity 
of  the  Cape  Colony  and  the  Empire  at  large."  After 
the  review  we  were  put  on  ox  wagons,  which  were  to 
take  us  to  Maf eking,  where  our  organization  and 
equipment  was  to  be  completed.  The  Corps  was 
composed  almost  entirely  of  Britons — English,  Irish, 
Scotch,  and  Colonials  from  the  Cape  Colony,  the 
last  predominating.  There  were,  however,  a  few 
Americans,  Australians,  and  Germans.  Several  Eng- 
lish sailors,  or  bluejackets,  as  they  are  called,  were 
detailed  to  accompany  the  expedition  in  order  to 
work  the  machine-guns.  Owing  to  their  drollery  and 
their  excessive  use  of  nautical  terms,  they  were  the 
source  of  great  amusement  during  the  entire  trip. 
The  parts  of  a  wagon  or  a  horse  were  "fore,"  "aft," 
"port,"  and  "starboard,"  while  a  bridle  was  a 
"steering-gear,"  and  the  spurs  were  "grappling 
irons."  The  last  were  used  by  the  sailors  in  the  full 
sense  of  the  appellation,  much  to  the  discomfort  of  the 
horses  they  rode.    Several  professional  prospectors  in 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 


55 


the  employ  of  Messrs.  Johnson,  Heany  &  Borrow  also 
accompanied  us. 

Our  first  day  of  travelling  brought  with  it  a  full 
realization  of  the  discomforts  of  soldiering.  As  we 
possessed  no  tents,  the  rain,  slush,  and  mud  placed  be- 
fore us  the  prospect  of  an  uncomfortable  night.  Fort- 
unately we  reached  a  wayside  inn,  the  commodious 
rooms  and  veranda  of  which,  although  necessitating 
considerable  crowding,  were  acceptable  to  all.  The 
conviviality  of  the  sailors,  prospectors,  and  others  at 
the  bar  did  not  add  comfort  to  the  slumbers  of  those 
who  considered  themselves  sober,  self-restrained  men. 
I  do  not  mean  necessarily  to  imply  that  any  became 
over-intoxicated,  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  one 
man  who  stumbled  over  an  ox,  and  then  sat  on  the 
muddy  ground,  humbly  begging  the  creature's  pardon 
while  it  stood  a  little  way  off,  staring  in  amazement 
at  the  repentant  offender. 

The  next  morning  at  about  nine  o'clock  the  Pioneer 
Expedition  moved  on.  The  most  common  method  of 
travel  in  South  Africa  is  by  ox  wagon.  The  wagons, 
which  are  strongly  built  though  cumbersome,  are  each 
drawn  by  sixteen  large  oxen,  called,  in  South  African 
parlance,  a  ' '  span.' '  There  are  three  kinds  of  wagons  in 
use,  viz.:  the  tentless  buck-wagon,  the  half- tent  wagon, 
and  the  full-tent  wagon.  The  last  is  similar  to  the 
''prairie  schooner,"  but  larger.  The  tongue  or  pole 
is  called  a  "  diisselboom."  To  this  are  yoked  two 
oxen,  called  the  after-oxen.  A  long  chain,  known  as 
the  trek-chain,"  is  fastened  to  the  front  of  the  diissel- 
boom. At  intervals  of  about  ten  feet  along  the  chain, 
are  attached  the  yokes  for  each  pair  of  bullocks.  The 
yokes  are  merely  round  poles  five  feet  long  by  four 
inches  in  diameter,  which  rest  on  the  necks  of  the 
oxen.   Through  each  yoke  are  inserted  two  pairs  of 


56  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 


flat  slafcs  called  *'skeis,"  and  to  each  pair  of  these  is 
attached  a  ''strop  "  (a  twisted  rawhide  thong),  which  is 
secured  underneath  the  neck  of  the  ox.  Around  the 
horns  of  each  ox  is  fastened  a  "reim"  or  rawhide 
strap.  The  oxen,  called  "trek-oxen,"  are  mostly  of 
the  ungainly,  longhorn  variety,  similar  to  those  raised 
in  Texas  twenty  years  ago. 

The  owner  of  one  or  more  of  these  freight  or  trans- 
port wagons  is  called  a  "transport  rider,-'  and  he 
usually  accompanies  his  wagons  on  a  journey.  With 
each  vehicle  he  employs  a  moderately  intelligent 
Kafir  as  a  driver,  and  usually  a  less  intelligent  or 
younger  one  as  a  leader.  Sometimes  mules  are  used, 
but  oxen  are  better  adapted  to  the  work,  principally 
because  they  never  have  to  be  fed.  Both  winter  and 
summer,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  during  the  dry 
season  and  the  wet,  they  pick  their  own  food  from  the 
veld  (open  country).  The  span  is  driven  by  the  use 
of  a  whip,  consisting  of  a  long  lash  secured  to  a  long 
handle.  No  reins  are  used,  but  the  driver  talks  con- 
tinually to  his  oxen  in  South  African  Dutch.  The  cat- 
tle understand  no  other  language,  hence  to  attempt  to 
drive  them  by  speaking  English  is  absolutely  futile. 
Even  their  names  are  Dutch,  as,  for  example,  "Kink- 
hals,"  "  Witbooi,"  and  "  Blessbok."  If  a  Dutch  trans- 
port rider  has  an  ox  in  his  span  which  he  dislikes,  he 
invariably  names  him  "Engelsman"  (Englishman). 
The  duties  of  the  leader  are,  when  trekking  (travel- 
ling), to  go  in  front  and  lead  the  oxen  by  a  reim 
through  rivers  and  across  bad  places  in  the  roads, 
and  when  outspanned  (unhitched),  to  herd  the  cattle 
while  they  are  grazing. 

At  sunset  the  oxen  are  inspanned  (put  into  the 
yoke),  and  they  trek  until  ten  o'  clock.  They  are  then 
outspanned  and  tied  to  the  trek-chain  by  their  reims. 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 


57 


The  transport  rider  and  his  servants  sleep  until  nearly 
two,  when  the  former  awakens,  calls  the  driver  and 
.  the  leader,  who  make  some  coffee  for  their  baas  (mas- 
ter), drink  some  themselves,  inspan  the  oxen,  and 
trek  until  sunrise.  The  baas  usually  sleeps  during 
the  morning  trek,  in  a  bed  made  in  a  small  tent  on  the 
back  part  of  the  wagon.  By  journeying  thus,  the 
oxen  have  the  entire  day  for  grazing  and  rest ;  and 
they  travel  better  at  night  because  it  is  cooler.  At 
best  they  do  not  proceed  rapidly — two  and  one-half 
miles  per  hour  with  a  heavy  load  of  four  tons  being 
about  as  much  ground  as  they  can  cover. 

It  is  often  found  necessary  to  deviate  from  the 
regular  hours  of  trekking,  and  this  was  the  case  on 
our  journey  to  Mafeking.  The  mode  of  nightly 
travelling  was  so  irksome  to  the  newly  initiated,  that 
the  transport  rider  in  whose  wagons  we  were  carried 
was  sufficiently  considerate  as  to  do  much  of  it  in  the 
daytime.  It  was  at  the  close  of  the  rainy  season,  and 
on  account  of  the  mud,  progress  was  difficult.  Our 
own  wagons  were  frequently  stalled  in  the  mire,  and 
we  passed  wagons  going  both  ways,  almost  hopeless- 
ly sunk  in  the  soft  ground.  When  nights  occurred 
without  rain,  there  were  heavy  frosts,  making  it  un- 
comfortably cold.  Having  not  yet  fallen  into  the 
routine  of  this  kind  of  life,  many  found  the  inconveni- 
ences of  making  bread  by  rough  and  ready  appliances, 
and  cooking  on  the  ground,  both  awkward  and  un- 
pleasant. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  April  I  took  my  Bal- 
lard rifle,  and  went  off  the  road  to  kill  some  game ; 
but  at  first  the  only  living  things  I  could  see  were 
herds  of  fat  sheep.  We  were  in  a  prairie  country, 
with  here  and  there  patches  of  small  bushes.  At  last, 
from  the  top  of  a  hill,  I  sighted  with  my  field-glasses 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


a  herd  of  seven  antelopes  grazing  in  a  meadow  about  a 
mile  away.  Under  cover  of  some  bushes,  I  got  within 
six  hundred  yards  of  them.  They  were  springbuck, 
a  species  of  antelope  slightly  smaller  than  our  prong- 
horn,  and  in  appearance  much  like  it.  Creeping 
through  the  grass  to  an  ant-hill  within  four  hundred 
yards  of  the  bunch,  I  took  careful  aim  at  the  shoulder 
of  the  largest  one,  and  fired.  To  my  surprise,  the 
animal  fell  dead.  I  cut  off  the  head  and  hind  quar- 
ters, took  them  on  my  shoulders,  and  started  for  the 
road. 

The  load  soon  proved  too  much  for  me,  so  I 
cached  the  meat  in  some  bushes,  and  went  on  after 
the  wagons,  carrying  the  head,  which  was  a  very  fine 
one.  Upon  overtaking  them,  at  about  two  o'clock, 
several  members  of  our  party  were  kind  enough  to  in- 
form me  that  I  had  been  poaching  on  the  game  pre- 
serves of  Wildebeest  Farm.  Nevertheless,  they  will- 
ingly became  participes  criminis  by  accepting  a  share 
of  the  meat,  for  which  I  went  back  on  a  horse  lent  me 
by  the  commissariat  officer,  Mr.  Gie. 

All  over  South  Africa,  antelope,  of  which  there  are 
many  varieties,  are  preserved  by  the  farmers.  By  ob- 
taining permission  from  the  owner  of  a  farm  during 
the  shooting  season,  one  can  have  excellent  hunting, 
which  goes  far  toward  mitigating  the  monotony  of 
life  in  that  region.  The  average  size  of  an  African 
farm  is  3,000  acres.  Large  areas  of  pasture-land  are 
thus  preserved,  and  on  these,  small  herds  of  game 
often  graze  among  the  cattle  and  sheep., 

I  went  hunting  every  day  of  our  journey  between 
Kimberley  and  Mafeking,  but  succeeded  in  getting 
only  two  more  antelopes— little  red  ones  called  stein- 
buck,  about  eighteen  inches  in  height.  Some  mem- 
bers of  our  party  went  out  with  shot-guns,  and  killed 


FEOM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 


59 


many  noisy  game-birds  called  koran,  a  few  large  ones 
called  pauw,  and  some  hares.  In  addition  to  these, 
there  were  to  be  seen  wild  geese,  ducks,  secretary 
birds,  corona  cranes,  and  jackals.  Once  I  found  a 
colony  of  small  mammals,  known  as  meerkats.  They 
seem  to  occupy  in  South  Africa  the  place  of  the  prairie- 
dog  in  North  America.  Their  burrows  are  scattered 
over  the  veld  quite  like  those  of  the  prairie-dogs  on 
our  Western  plains,  and  are  equally  dangerous  to 
horsemen  when  riding  at  full  gallop  over  them. 

Our  journey  took  us  through  a  region  excellently 
adapted  to  stock  raising,  which  seemed  the  principal 
occupation  of  the  farmers.  In  appearance  the  coun- 
try was  not  materially  different  from  what  our  West- 
ern States  must  have  been  at  the  time  of  their  early 
settlement,  with  the  exception  that  on  our  journey 
there  were  to  be  noted  occasionally  small  villages  of 
native  huts  with  conical  roofs  of  thatch,  looking  more 
like  hay-stacks  than  human  dwellings  such  as  Ameri- 
cans are  accustomed  to  see.  I  remember  in  particular 
that  from  the  top  of  a  high  ridge  the  view  ahead  was 
of  long,  low,  grass-covered  hills,  like  the  bluffs  at  the 
side  of  a  river-basin,  but  far  apart  and  irregularly  ar- 
ranged. Between  them  were  broad  valleys,  some  cov- 
ered with  scrubby  bushes,  others  with  grass,  and  be- 
yond these,  one  could  see  level  plains  with  here  and 
there  small  conical  hills  called  "  kopjes." 

The  farm-houses  that  we  saw  were  far  apart ;  but 
they  were  substantial  in  appearance,  with  windmills 
and  well-built  stables  around  them.  Near  the  stables 
were  ''dams"  (artificial  ponds),  for  the  purpose  of 
storing  water  for  sheep  and  cattle  through  the  dry 
season  of  the  year,  as  well  as  for  irrigating.  Agri- 
culture seemed  to  be  followed  only  to  a  limited  ex- 
tent.   Near  the  dams  were  a  few  small  fields  of 


60 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


Indian  corn,  called  ^'mealies"  in  South  Africa.  At 
the  farmsteads  along  the  road  were  usually  a  way- 
side inn,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  store,  and  facilities 
for  watering  cattle. 

At  one  of  these  farms  I  had  the  opportunity  of  see- 
ing some  cattle  branded  by  the  African  method.  A 
reim  was  fastened  around  the  bullock's  horns,  and  he 
was  then  pulled  to  a  tree  to  which  he  was  secured. 
Another  cord  was  put  around  the  animal's  hind  legs. 
Three  Kafirs  pulled  at  it  from  one  side,  while  three 
more  pulled  at  the  tail  from  the  other,  and,  after  some 
struggling,  the  bullock  lost  his  equilibrium  and  fell. 
While  a  Kafir  seized  him  by  the  horns  and  held  his 
head  to  the  ground,  the  baas  ran  up  with  a  branding 
iron  from  the  fire  and  branded  the  animal  on  his  hip. 
By  this  very  clumsy  method,  from  seven  to  nine  peo- 
ple are  required  to  brand  one  ox.  If  the  cattle  are 
difiicult  to  catch,  they  are  driven  into  the  corner  of  a 
pen,  a  loop  is  made  in  a  rope,  put  on  the  end  of  a  long 
pole,  and  carefully  held  out  over  tlie  head  of  an  ox 
until  there  is  a  quiet  opportunity  to  drop  it  over  his 
horns.  The  sight  of  such  tenderfoot  business  with 
cattle  would  be  enough  to  drive  a  Montana  cow- 
boy distracted  with  contempt.  The  art  of  lassoing 
seems  never  to  have  been  cultivated  in  South  Africa. 

On  Sunday,  April  27th,  we  arrived  at  a  place  called 
Taungs,  where  a  church  parade  of  the  Pioneers  was 
held,  with  services,  in  the  court-house.  This  town  is 
situated  on  the  Hartz  River,  about  one  hundred  miles 
from  Kimberley.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  there  were 
only  forty  white  people  residing  there,  ten  of  whom 
were  Bechuanaland  Border  Police— frontier  soldiers. 
There  were  two  hotels,  each  with  a  shop  and  canteen 
(saloon)  attached,  and  post  and  telegraph  offices. 
Many  white  people  were  said  to  be  living  on  farms 


FKOM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 


61 


scattered  about  over  the  neighboring  country.  Near 
by  was  a  native  town  of  6,000  inhabitants  belonging 
to  the  Batlapin  tribe.  It  contained  a  mission  church, 
the  result  of  the  early  labors  of  Moffat  and  Living- 
stone. Some  progress  toward  civilization  seemed  to 
have  been  made  among  these  savages.  A  few  of  the 
men  were  transport  drivers,  owning  their  wagons  and 
oxen,  while  many  possessed  herds  of  cattle,  goats,  and 
horses.  Yet  the  innate  love  of  indolence  appeared  to 
be  as  indelibly  stamped  upon  the  character  of  the  Bat- 
lapin as  upon  that  of  every  other  branch  of  the  Ethio- 
pian race,  whether  in  the  land  of  its  nativity,  or  forci- 
bly transported  to  climes  less  favorable  to  the  pursuit 
of  that  occupation  which  the  negro  loves  best — doing 
nothing. 

The  Batlapin  men  at  Taungs  dressed  in  imitation  of 
white  men,  with  coat  and  trousers,  but  their  clothes 
were  very  filthy.  The  women  wore  skirts  of  calico, 
although  their  clothing  above  the  waist  was  generally 
composed  of  skins.  The  latter  also  wore  bracelets 
and  necklaces  of  beads.  The  native  town  was  scat- 
tered over  a  large  area.  The  huts  were  each  built 
in  a  circular  shape  with  a  roof  of  grass,  sloping  from 
a  central  point  downward  on  all  sides,  while  the  walls 
were  made  of  mud,  with  but  one  door  and  no  window. 
Each  house  was  surrounded  partly  by  a  fence  of 
bushes  about  as  high  as  a  man's  head,  and  partly  by 
a  wall  neatly  made  of  gravel  and  mud,  with  loopholes 
near  its  top. 

The  love  of  athletic  sports  springs  eternal  in  the 
English  breast,  and  before  I  was  fairly  aware  of  it,  I 
found  myself  involved  in  a  walking  match,  with  as 
good  backing  as  any  man  could  ask. 

In  our  party  was  a  young  man  named  Herbert, 
who  hailed  from  Piccadilly.    For  some  reason  he  sin- 


62 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


cerely  believed  Mmself  to  be  one  of  the  best  pedestrians 
in  the  world ;  and  he  talked  so  much  about  it,  that 
finally  the  sporting  members  of  our  part}^  became 
weary,  and  arranged  for  a  series  of  walking  matches, 
one  of  five  miles  and  one  of  twenty,  in  order  that  the 
champion  might  prove  his  claim.  By  some  strange 
circumstance,  it  happened  that  I  was  selected  as  Her- 
bert's opponent.  Herbert  chose  for  his  trainer  a 
young  man,  Sidney  Arnott,  from  King  Williamstown, 
Cape  Colony,  while  I  was  taken  in  hand  by  a  worthy 
son  of  Erin,  named  Tim  Finucane.  We  were  put 
under  training,  and  dieted  on  bread,  beef,  and  such 
other  food  as  our  commissariat  afforded.  The  ap- 
pointed day  arrived.  A  half-mile  course  was  meas- 
ured off  along  the  road  from  where  the  wagons  were 
outspanned,  and  we  were  to  walk  to  the  farther  end 
and  back,  five  times.  Considering  the  occasion  the 
betting  was  heavy  on  both  sides,  and  with  our  trainers 
at  our  heels,  the  match  began. 

At  the  very  start  Herbert  shot  right  ahead  of  me, 
and  came  in  at  the  end  of  the  first  mile  fresh  as  a 
lark.  "  I  can  keep  this  up  forever  !  "  was  his  buoyant 
announcement;  but  secretly  I  hoped  eternity  would 
outlast  his  wind. 

At  the  end  of  each  mile  I  removed  some  article  of 
clothing  in  order  that  I  should  be  least  encumbered 
when  coming  in  on  the  home  stretch.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  the  last  mile  my  trainer  said  to  me,  "Now, 
Brownie,  you  must  kape  up  close  behoind  him,  and 
puff  and  blouw  loike  a  porpoise."  I  kept  up  as  ad- 
vised, panting  as  if  I  were  nearl}^  out  of  breath.  My 
opponent  did  his  utmost  to  keep  ahead  of  me,  but 
when  we  got  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  goal,  Tim 
said,  "Now's  your  toime,  mon  !  Pass  him!"  Hav- 
ing a  fair  amount  of  reserve  strength,  I  quietly  walked 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  MAFEKING 


63 


by  my  antagonist ;  and  as  I  did  so,  I  heard  a  sigh 
ending  with  an  "Oh!"  As  I  glanced  over  my 
shoulder,  I  saw  Herbert  throwing  his  arms  into  the 
air,  and  falling  backward  into  the  arms  of  his  coach. 
I  was  not  sure  whether  he  was  really  fainting,  or  only 
making  a  feint  at  fainting.  However,  Tim  said  sharp- 
ly, "Kape  sthrait  on  to  the  goal,  mon  !  The  crathur 
will  be  cared  for."  And  Arnott  shouted,  "Sponge 
and  water  this  way,  please  !  "  The  men  who  had  won 
their  bets  generously  carried  me  into  camp  on  their 
shoulders,  amid  cheers.  Herbert  also  was  carried  in, 
but  with  one  man  at  each  leg,  and  one  at  each  shoul- 
der. He  had  no  desire  for  the  twenty-mile  race,  and 
thereafter  there  was  peace  and  quiet  at  the  camp  on 
the  subject  of  walking. 

We  arrived  at  Mafeking  on  April  7th.  The  native 
village  was  beautifully  situated  on  the  Molopo  River, 
among  trees  from  which  the  chief  Montsioa  allowed 
not  a  twig  to  be  taken.  The  huts  were  circular, 
with  thatched  and  pointed  roofs,  similar  to  those  I 
had  seen  at  Taungs.  The  English  town  of  only  a  few 
hundred  inhabitants  was  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
native  village.  The  houses  were  built  of  "dagga" 
(mud),  brick,  and  corrugated  iron,  and,  as  usual,  there 
were  stores,  hotels,  and  blacksmith  shops. 

The  place  was  practically  the  frontier,  the  telegraph 
line  terminating  there.  A  force  of  frontier  soldiers 
had  been  stationed  near  the  town  for  three  years  past. 
They  were  known  as  the  Bechuanaland  Border  Police, 
and  were  under  the  command  of  a  noted  British  Kafir 
fighter,  Sir  Frederick  Carrington. 


CHAPTER  VI 


FROM  MAFEKING  TO  THE  TULI  RIVER 

The  Johannesburg  Contingent — Pioneer  Drudgery — Rations, 
Equipment,  and  Organization — Sing-songs  " — A  Game 
of  Hare  and  Hounds — The  Journey  Continued — Along  the 
Crocodile  River — Skirmish  Drills — Baines's  Camp  on  the 
Macloutsie  River — Evolution  of  the  Nickname  "  Curio  " — 
Major-General  Methuen  Inspects  the  Pioneer  Corps — 
Sham  Battles — Laager — On  the  Line  of  March — Fort  Tuli 
— Diplomatic  Negotiations  with  Lo  Bengula. 

Foe  ten  days  we  were  encamped  near  Mafeking,  on 
the  Molopo  River.  The  contingent  recruited  by  Cap- 
tain Frank  Mandy  at  Johannesburg  had  arrived  the 
week  before.  The  first  three  years  of  the  existence  of 
Johannesburg  had  just  ended  in  the  collapse  of  a  tre- 
mendous boom.  Men  who  had  but  yesterday  con- 
sidered themselves  on  the  verge  of  becoming  million- 
naires,  were  now  penniless.  The  verdict,  not  only  of 
experts,  but  of  mankind  in  general,  was  that  the  min- 
ing industry  there  had  seen  its  best  days ;  for  it  was 
thought  that  the  gold  would  never  pay  for  the  milling. 
Hence  there  was  a  general  exodus  from  the  place. 
Many  were  almost  giving  away  their  chattels  for 
money  with  which  to  leave.  Those  who  were  so  for- 
tunate as  to  attach  themselves  to  the  Pioneer  Expedi- 
tion were  considered  exceedingly  lucky. 

When  we  take  into  account  the  enormous  prosperity 

64 


FKOM  MAFEKING  TO  THE  TULI  RIVEK 


65 


which  immediately  followed  at  Johannesburg,  and 
consider  that  her  population  has  increased  until  now 
there  are  180,000  inhabitants,  while  the  production  of 
gold  amounts  to  over  $40,000,000  per  annum,  we  are 
forcibly  impressed  with  the  frailty  of  human  judgment 
concerning  the  possible  future  of  a  gold-field.  Hence 
follows  the  absurdity  of  listening  unreservedly  to  pre- 
dictions of  disaster — and  likewise  to  predictions  of  tre- 
mendous possibilities  of  any  gold  field  whose  de- 
velopment is  in  its  infancy.  Time  and  labor  alone  can 
prove  the  value  of  low-grade  ore.  There  is,  perhaps, 
no  occupation  in  the  world  more  hazardous  or  uncer- 
tain as  to  results  than  that  of  gold  digging — and  there 
is  none  more  fascinating. 

In  our  new  camp  we  were  at  once  put  to  work.  I 
thought  I  had  done  hard  work  before,  but  my  previ- 
ous campaigning  experiences  were  as  nothing  com- 
pared with  those  of  a  Pioneer.  What  with  cooking 
our  food,  cleaning  and  oiling  saddles  and  rifles,  drill- 
ing, and  loading  and  reloading  wagons,  little  time  was 
left  either  for  recreation  or  loafing.  Our  cooking  was 
done  in  the  most  primitive  way — entirely  on  the  ground. 
Meat  was  grilled  on  the  coals,  or  cooked  in  pots  ;  and 
the  bread  was  baked  in  old-fashioned  Dutch  ovens,  or  in 
the  ashes  of  our  camp-fires.  We  were  divided  into 
messes  of  from  seven  to  nine  members,  and  each  day 
one  member  of  a  mess  was  relieved  from  other  duties 
for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  the  cooking.  As  a  re- 
sult, I  am  firmly  convinced  that  rotation  in  office  is 
not  always  an  unmixed  blessing,  and  that  all  cooks 
should  be  placed  under  the  strictest  rules  of  the  civil 
service  system. 

Our  rations  consisted  of  coarse  wheat  flour  called 
*'Boer  meal,"  fresh  or  canned  beef,  colfee,  sugar,  tea, 
pepper,  salt,  dried  split  peas,  compressed  vegetables, 

5 


66  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

and  sWp-biscuits.  The  Pioneers  were  served  every 
evening,  until  the  supply  was  exhausted,  with  a  "tot" 
(half  a  teacupf ul)  of  Cape  brandy,  commonly  known  as 
"Cape  smoke"  or  "dop." 

Being  at  that  time  a  total  abstainer,  I  made  a  bar- 
gain with  a  young  American  named  Frost,  that  he 
might  have,  in  exchange  for  a  pair  of  riding-boots,  all 
liquor  issued  to  me  during  our  journey  to  Mashona- 
land.  The  boots  were  too  small,  so  I  swapped  them 
for  two  sovereigns.  One  of  the  sovereigns  I  staked  in 
a  raffle  for  a  gun  and  a  horse,  and  won  nothing.  The 
other  I  lost  in  a  bet  with  Jack  Spreckley  concerning 
the  identification  of  a  certain  spotted  pup  that  he  was 
feeding  one  evening  by  the  camp-fire.  Thus  came  the 
proverbial  financial  disaster,  which  money  made  by 
dealing  in  liquor  is  said  always  to  bring. 

We  were  equipped  with  Martini-Henry  rifles.  Web- 
ley  revolvers,  bandoliers,  English  military  saddles  and 
bridles,  blankets,  and  uniform.  The  last  consisted  of 
a  heavy  waterproof  coat,  a  jacket  of  brown  corduroy 
called  a  tunic,  corduroy  trousers,  yellow  leather  leg- 
gings, regulation  army  boots,  and  a  Buffalo  Bill  hat, 
with  the  brim  pinned  up  on  the  left  side  to  give  to  the 
wearer  a  smart  appearance.  We  were  also  supplied 
with  patrol  tents,  in  each  of  which  two  men  could  sleep 
comfortably.  In  wages  the  Pioneer  troopers  were  to  re- 
ceive seven  shillings  and  sixpence  per  day,  while  those 
higher  in  rank  were  paid  according  to  station.  We 
were  each  promised  the  right  to  a  farm  of  three 
thousand  acres  in  Mashonaland,  and  also  the  right  to 
locate  fifteen  mining  claims  in  that  much-coveted  gold- 
field. 

At  Mafeking  our  organization  was  completed,  the 
corps  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  men  being  divided  into 
three  troops,  A,  B,  and  C.    A  and  B  were  mounted  in- 


FEOM  MxVFEKING  TO  THE  TULI  RIVER 

fan  try,  while  C  was  the  artillery  troop.  Major  Frank 
Johnson,  an  Englishman,  was  in  command  of  the  corps. 
The  captain  of  A  troop  was  M.  B.  Heany,  an  American. 
This  gentleman  is  a  Virginian  by  bii'tli,  and  a  cousin 
of  Edgar  Allan  Poe.  He  was  at  one  time  a  lieutenant 
in  our  regular  army,  and  was  engaged  in  Indian  fight- 
ing in  Custer's  time.  Mr.  H.  F.  Hoste,  captain  of  B 
troop,  was  of  English  birth,  while  Jack  Roach,  captain 
of  C  troop,  hailed  from  the  Emerald  Isle. 

At  the  beginning  discipline  was  not  rigidly  enforced, 
and  our  slumbers  were  frequently  disturbed  by  the 
thoughtless  and  talkative.  Out-door  concerts,  common 
on  military  expeditions,  were  soon  instituted.  We  were 
treated  to  the  first  of  these  by  the  sailors,  who  held 
around  a  rousing  camp-fire  what  they  called  a  "sing- 
song." Numerous  voluntary  musical  effusions  were 
rendered,  and  the  "cup  that  cheers"  was  on  this  occa- 
sion represented  by  several  bottles  of  Scotch  whiskey. 
When  the  affair  was  over,  lively  dialoguing  ensued 
between  the  bluejackets  and  the  Australian  prospect- 
ors. Here  is  a  sample  of  it :  "  Did  you  know  that 
Marine  bloke  that  was  aboard  the  Baleigli  f  Well, 
once  he  was  a  bloody  bushranger."  "That  beggar 
blows  his  fog  about  it  to  this  day."  "But  the  bloomin' 
beggar  was  hung."  Scarcely  had  their  disturbance 
subsided  when  a  Kafir  driver,  called  Long- Tail  Charley, 
came  stumbling  in  from  Maf eking,  literally  "roar- 
ing drunk."  He  was  one  of  the  enlightened  kind, 
and  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  most  notorious 
scoundrel  on  the  Kimberley  Diamond  Fields,  having 
been  intimately  connected  with  illicit  diamond  buying. 
No  persuasion  would  induce  him  to  be  quiet.  My 
patience  becoming  exhausted,  and  no  one  else  seem- 
ing inclined  to  take  any  action,  I  threatened  a  shoot- 
ing match  with  him.    To  this  he  paid  no  atten- 


68 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FKONTIER 


tion.  Finally  I  readied  for  my  six- shooter,  and  fired 
a  shot  into  the  air.  Whether  or  not  he  had  been  read- 
ing ' ^Cow-Boy  Bill,  the  Terror  of  the  West,"  among 
the  dime  novel  series,  I  do  not  know.  Nevertheless, 
an  extraordinary  amount  of  snoring  immediately  fol- 
lowed, with  quiet  for  the  remainder  of  the  night. 

A  few  evenings  later,  the  Johannesburg  men  also 
held  a  concert.  Hearing  such  songs  as  the  Suwanee 
River,"  "Marching  Through  Georgia,"  and  many 
others  with  which  I  was  familiar,  impressed  me  with 
the  fact  that  British  extension  of  empire,  and  the  con- 
sequent spread  of  the  English  language,  is  really  mak- 
ing the  best  of  the  world  one  nation  in  thought  and 
feeling.  As  I  lay  in  my  blankets,  listening  to  these 
familiar  airs,  I  could  scarcely  realize  thai;  I  was  on  the 
frontier  of  a  distant  land  more  than  10,000  miles  from 
my  native  home,  and  actually  serving  under  a  flag 
that  was  not  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

It  is  remarkable  how  the  instinct  for  the  chase,  in- 
herited from  our  primitive  ancestors,  is  exhibited  in 
small  ways.  I  was  one  day  greatly  amused  at  seeing 
the  entire  camp,  from  officers  down  to  Kafir  servants, 
drop  work  of  every  description,  and  vociferously  join 
in  a  chase  after  a  harmless  hare,  which  came  running 
through  our  encampment.  Such  escapades  are  com- 
mon on  these  frontier  expeditions,  and  I  have  since 
taken  part  in  many  of  them.  One  afternoon  our  corps 
indulged  in  a  game  of  hare  and  hounds,  in  which 
we  ran  seven  miles.  Everybody  took  part,  and  I  was 
disappointed  at  coming  out  second,  two-and-a-half 
minutes  after  the  hares.  A  young  man  named  War- 
ren, from  the  Cape  Colony,  was  the  winner. 

On  May  17th  the  horses  arrived  and  were  distrib- 
uted among  the  troops.  The  next  day  the  long  train 
of  wagons  and  horsemen  left  Mafeking,  and  through 


FROM  MAFEKING  TO  THE  TULI  EIVER  69 

clouds  of  dust  wended  its  way  northward  toward  the 
Crocodile  River.  It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  camp 
was  formed,  and,  as  often  happens  at  the  beginning 
of  an  expedition,  before  working  order  has  been  estab- 
lished, great  confusion  ensued.  Some  of  the  wagons 
had  gone  too  far  ahead ;  others  had  not  yet  arrived. 
No  rations  had  been  issued  during  the  day,  and  the 
men  were  grumbling  and  threatening  mutiny  and  ven- 
geance ;  but  all  grievances  were  immediately  forgotten 
when  stomachs  were  filled. 

The  road  from  Mafeking  to  the  Crocodile  River 
passed  most  of  the  way  over  timbered  country  cov- 
ered principally  by  three  varieties  of  thorn-trees. 
Some  of  the  land  was  undulating,  but  through  a  good 
portion  of  it  we  filed  among  wooded  hills  which  in 
appearance  were  almost  mountains.  The  grass  was 
much  shorter  than  we  had  observed  it  to  be  south  of 
Mafeking.  Part  of  the  time  we  travelled  by  day,  and 
part  by  night.  When  the  road  was  sandy,  the  dust 
raised  by  the  long  train  of  wagons  and  the  numerous 
horsemen  became  almost  stifling  ;  but  during  the  first 
ten  days  our  progress  was  hampered  at  times  by  thun- 
der-showers. At  night  some  of  the  displays  of  light- 
ning in  distant  cloud-banks  were  amazingly  beautiful. 
The  wet  weather  was  soon  followed  by  clear  skies  with 
warm  days,  crimson  sunsets — which  were  among  the 
most  beautiful  I  have  ever  seen — and  frosty  nights. 
The  southern  constellations  shone  out  magnificently. 
The  belated  wayfarer  in  the  wilderness  had  in  the  first 
half  of  the  night  the  clouds  of  Magellan  to  guide  him, 
and  toward  morning  the  Southern  Cross.  In  advanc- 
ing northward,  there  was  evidence  that  we  were  ap- 
proaching the  tropics,  for  the  milder  temperature  and 
the  twittering  of  birds  made  some  mornings  seem  like 
spring. 


70 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


We  passed  many  villages  where  men  and  women, 
dressed  much  like  those  near  Taungs,  came  with  milk 
for  sale.  At  Ramoutsa,  a  town  of  round  thatched  huts, 
enclosed  by  a  stockade,  there  were  6,000  natives. 
Around  the  village  were  many  fields  of  green  Kafir -corn 
and  abundant  herds  of  cattle  and  goats.  The  mission- 
aries residing  there  had  induced  the  chief  to  forbid 
the  sale  of  liquor  to  his  people.  At  this  place  we  saw 
some  white  women — daughters  of  the  missionaries.  It 
must  be  exceedingly  lonely  for  the  cultured  people 
who  live  thus  in  the  wilds,  far  removed  from  civiliza- 
tion. 

By  May  30th  we  reached  the  Crocodile  River  at 
the  junction  of  the  Notwani.  Along  the  banks  of  the 
Crocodile  the  trees  were  of  considerable  size,  and  the 
vegetation  was  rank.  For  more  than  a  week  we  trav- 
elled along  the  western  bank  of  the  stream.  From  the 
numerous  tracks  observed,  it  was  evident  that  many 
large  antelopes  came  in  the  night  to  drink  from  its 
waters  ;  but  they  retired  far  back  on  the  wooded  plains 
to  spend  the  day,  so  that  we  were  unable  to  obtain  a 
glimpse  of  them.  Troops  of  monkeys  and  baboons 
were  frequently  seen,  and  by  their  nightly  howling 
impressed  one  with  the  feeling  that  he  was  really  in 
the  African  wilderness.  The  numerous  hippopotamus 
tracks  that  we  observed  along  the  river-bank  served  to 
strengthen  this  impression.  Occasionally  we  saw  large 
palm-trees,  which,  with  the  tall,  conical  ant-heaps  that 
here  and  there  thrust  themselves  into  view,  and  the 
grass-roofed  huts  of  the  natives,  yielded  the  ' '  typical 
African  landscape"  of  the  standard  books  of  travel. 
At  one  place  we  came  to  three  ruined  stone  forts, 
built  by  some  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  country, 
probably  Arabs. 

As  we  travelled  along,  our  commander  frequently 


FEOM  MAFEKING  TO  THE  TULI  EIVER 


71 


took  us  out  for  skirmish  drills.  Fortunately,  I  had 
chosen  a  sure-footed  little  Basuto  pony,  accustomed  to 
racing  across  rough  country.  He  never  made  a  mis- 
step with  me,  and  that  is  saying  a  great  deal,  as  we 
had  to  gallop  at  top  speed  through  the  bushes,  among 
trees,  across  stony  pkices,  and  over  ant-bear  holes  and 
small  ravines.  It  was  a  common  thing  to  see  horses 
turning  somersaults,  and  their  riders  either  falling  off 
or  being  thrown  off.  In  such  cases  the  Major  some- 
times came  cantering  up,  shouting,  derisively,  "  Who 
told  that  man  to  dismount  ?  " 

After  leaving  the  Crocodile  we  arrived  on  June  13th 
at  the  Palm  River,  well  named  on  account  of  the  nu- 
merous palm-trees  along  its  banks.  Tliese  were  of  the 
nut-palm  variety,  from  the  fruit  of  which  the  vegetable 
ivory  is  obtained.  By  the  shape  of  their  leaves,  I 
judged  them  to  be  likewise  of  the  kind  from  which  the 
X3alm-leaf  fan  is  made.  Here,  and  for  the  first  time, 
we  heard  lions  roaring  in  the  night.  We  finally  ar- 
rived at  Baines's  camp  on  the  Macloutsie  Hiver,  and 
found  five  troops  of  the  British  South  Africa  Com- 
pany's Police,  and  tliree  troops  of  the  Beclmanaland 
Border  Police  encamped  a  few  miles  farther  up  the 
stream. 

Up  to  this  date  I  had  been  able  at  odd  times  to  pre- 
serve specimens  of  antelopes,  and  such  small  mammals 
as  squirrels,  shrews,  mice,  "night  apes,"  hedgehogs, 
and  "flying  monkeys."  In  my  collecting  I  was  helped 
by  many  members  of  the  expedition.  If  an  interesting 
object  was  obtained  by  any  of  the  Pioneers,  there  was 
always  the  remark,  "Give  it  to  that  curiosity  collect- 
or." In  this  way  I  soon  received  the  name  of  "Curi^ 
osity  "  Brown,  to  distinguish  me  from  the  rest  of  the. 
numerous  tribe  of  Browns  who  are  rapidly  peopling 
the  world.    This  soon  developed  into  the  nickname  of 


72 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


"  Curio  "  Brown,  which  name  has  remained  mine  to  the 
present  day.  At  last  I  had  enough  preserved  speci- 
mens to  fill  a  large  box,  and  these  I  sent  back  to  Kim- 
berley  in  charge  of  a  man  named  McGraw,  who  was 
accompanying  some  transport  wagons  to  that  place. 
He  was  to  give  the  box  to  Mr.  Gardner  Williams,  to  be 
forwarded  to  the  United  States  Consul  at  Cape  Town. 
But  my  case  of  specimens  never  reached  Kimberley, 
and  what  became  of  it,  I  have  never,  to  this  day,  been 
able  to  learn.  It  was  now  evident  that  the  very  serious 
business  ahead  would  prevent  any  further  collecting 
until  we  had  reached  Mount  Hampden  in  Mashona- 
land,  our  final  destination,  where  the  corps  would  be 
disbanded. 

While  at  Macloutsie,  I  received  letters  from  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  stating  that  funds  had  been 
granted  me  for  four  months'  collecting  in  Mashonaland, 
and  that  the  further  continuance  of  the  w^ork  would 
depend  largely  upon  the  possibility  of  getting  my  col- 
lections out  of  Mashonaland  to  the  coast. 

Rigid  discipline  was  now  enforced.  We  were  not 
yet  in  Matabeleland,  but  on  the  border  of  what  was 
termed  the  "Disputed  Territory."  This  was  a  strip  of 
country  lying  between  the  Macloutsie  and  Shaslii  rivers, 
which  was  claimed  by  both  Lo  Bengula  and  Khama, 
king  of  the  Bamangwatos.  It  is  needless  to  state  that 
the  dispute  has  since  been  settled.  We  were  daily 
put  through  the  severest  sort  of  drilling,  preparatory 
to  an  inspection  by  Major-General  Methuen,  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  British  forces  in  South  ilfrica,  who  was 
to  decide  as  to  our  efficiency  for  proceeding  into  the 
hostile  Matabele  country. 

The  appointed  day  came,  and  a  lively  day  it  was. 
The  Pioneer  Corps,  with  its  array  of  wagons  and 
horses,  crossed  the  Macloutsie  River,  and  sham  battles 


FROM  MAFEKING  TO  THE  TULI  RIVER  73 

were  f ouglit  with  imaginary  Matabeles.  The  roaring  of 
cannon,  the  barking  and  rattling  of  the  machine  guns 
and  riiles,  and  the  general  din  and  clamor  and  smoke 
were  enough  to  excite  even  the  veterans.  As  the  im- 
aginary enemy  pressed  upon  us,  the  train  of  wagons 
was  hastily  formed  into  a  diamond-shaped  enclos- 
ure, called  a  "laager."  Into  this  we  retreated,  and 
promptly  took  our  positions,  some  behind  bags  of 
meal  and  boxes  of  tinned  beef,  others  on  top  of  the 
various  wagons,  and  still  others  behind  sand-bags, 
which  had  been  arranged  underneath  the  wagons. 
Thus  did  we  prove  ourselves  able  to  defy  the  entire 
Matabele  nation.  At  any  rate,  the  Major-General  was 
satisfied,  and  pronounced  the  corps  sufficiently  well 
drilled  to  proceed  on  its  hazardous  undertaking.  He 
made  a  speech  expressing  himself  well  pleased  with 
the  Pioneers,  and  bade  us  Godspeed  northward  with 
Great  Britain's  "star  of  empire." 

On  June  27th  we  left  the  Macloutsie  River.  We 
had  now  thirty-six  wagons  heavily  loaded  with  ammu- 
nition, with  grain  for  the  horses,  and  provisions.  For 
ourselves,  we  carried  Boer  meal,  Chicago  corned  beef 
(Armour' s,  and  Libby,  McNeal  &  Libby' s),  and  such 
other  commissariat  stores  as  are  required  for  feeding 
a  large  party  of  men  for  many  months.  Each  wagon 
was  drawn  by  sixteen  ballocks,  handled  by  the  cus- 
tomary Kafir  leader  and  driver.  We  now  formed  a 
laager  nightly.  At  the  opening  of  each  of  its  four 
corners  was  placed  a  cannon  (seven  pounder)  or  a 
Maxim  gun.  A  certain  number  of  men  were  "told 
off"  to  each  wagon  to  sleep  under  or  near  it,  and,  in 
case  of  alarm,  to  take  their  positions  about  it.  Thus 
was  formed  a  genuine  fortification,  very  effective 
against  an  assault  by  barbarians.  Each  wagon  was 
assigned  to  a  certain  place,  so  that  in  case  of  attack 


74  0^  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


on  tlie  line  of  march,  laager  could  be  quickly  made, 
and  the  men  could  find  their  respective  positions  with- 
out confusion. 

At  night  the  horses  were  picketed  inside  the  enclos- 
ure, by  ropes  stretched  across  from  one  side  to  the 
other.  The  cattle  were  tied  to  the  trek-chains,  and 
were  stationed  around  the  laager  just  outside  the  wag- 
ons. The  men  on  top  of  the  wagons  could  shoot  over 
them,  but  should  the  enemy  "rush"  the  laager,  the 
cattle  would  probably  be  killed  in  the  melee.  Never- 
theless, they  would,  at  the  same  time,  form  an  imped- 
iment to  the  charge  on  the  part  of  the  natives.  There 
is  no  other  mode  of  arrangement  in  a  single  laager,  as 
there  is  not  room  inside  for  both  cattle  and  horses.  If 
the  force  is  a  large  one,  however,  two  laagers  are  made 
a  little  way  apart,  so  situated  that  the  men  can  cross- 
fire. In  this  case  the  cattle  are  placed  between  the 
laagers  in  a  pen  made  of  bushes.  The  cooking  is  done 
all  around  the  outside  of  the  laager,  about  fifty  yards 
distant  from  the  wagons,  and  beyond  the  usual  sleep- 
ing-place of  the  bullocks.  Through  the  openings  at 
the  corners  of  the  defense,  troops  of  horsemen  can  ride 
in  and  out.  At  night  a  chain  of  sentries  is  placed 
around  the  camp. 

On  the  line  of  march  a  vanguard  rides  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  in  front  of  the  advance  wagon,  while  the 
rear-guard  rides  about  the  same  distance  behind  the 
last  of  the  train.  On  either  side  of  the  column,  horse- 
men go  in  pairs  called  "flanking  parties."  Each  pair 
keeps  about  two  hundred  yards  distant  from  their 
neighbors  in  front  and  behind,  but  closer  than  this 
when  in  the  bush,  if  necessary  for  keeping  one  an- 
other in  sight,  which  is  called  "keeping  in  touch." 
In  addition,  there  are  always  scouts  circling  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  around,  watching  for  traces  of  the  enemy. 


FEOM  MAFEKING  TO  THE  TULI  RIVER 


75 


By  means  of  these  precautions,  savages  can  never  sur- 
prise the  white  men.  This  is  extremely  annoying  to 
the  Kafir  warriors,  as  their  forte  is  in  taking  their 
enemy  by  surprise.  If  in  the  thick  bush  they  have 
the  opportunity  of  killing  a  flanking  party,  they  say 
to  themselves,  "If  we  shoot  these,  we  will  alarm  the 
rest ;  then  we  can' t  surprise  the  main  body.  We 
don't  want  to  kill  two  men,  we  want  to  kill  them  all." 

With  our  column  was  taken  an  electric  search-light. 
The  electricity  for  this  was  supplied  by  a  dynamo  run 
by  a  steam-engine,  which  was  to  operate  a  saw-mill  in 
Mashonaland.  The  search-light  was  elfective  in  fright- 
ening the  Matabeles,  as  well  as  in  serving  the  useful 
purpose  of  detecting  prowling  enemies.  The  natives 
attributed  its  flashes  into  the  air  to  the  operation  of 
some  kind  of  magic. 

Thirty  miles  from  the  Macloutsie  Eiver  we  came  to 
the  camp  of  Mr.  F.  C.  Selous.  Aided  by  some  of 
Khama's  people,  Mr.  Selous  had  cut  the  road  from  the 
Macloutsie  to  the  Tuli  River.  The  latter  was  the 
recognized  border  of  Matabeleland,  and  thence  to 
Mount  Hampden  in  Mashonaland,  the  Pioneers  were  to 
make  the  road.  Mr.  Selous  was  to  guide  the  expedi- 
tion, and  he  was  also  to  be  in  command  of  the  scouts. 
I  tried  to  get  into  the  scouting  force,  but  at  first  did  not 
succeed  in  doing  so,  either  because  I  had  no  creden- 
tials proving  my  proficiency  for  that  work,  or  because 
those  in  command  were  afraid  that  my  knowledge  of 
bush  life  in  Africa  was  too  limited. 

The  country  between  the  Macloutsie  and  the  Tuli 
rivers  was  wooded  and  bushy.  We  were  now  in  tne 
midst  of  the  wilderness,  and  nightly  we  could  hear 
hyenas  (called  "wolves"  in  Africa)  and  jackals, 
which  came  near  our  camp.  I  went  hunting  several 
times  in  this  district,  but  being  on  foot,  I  was  not  sue- 


76 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


cessful  in  finding  game,  although  there  were  immense 
numbers  of  tracks.  Many  varieties  of  antelope  were 
to  be  found  in  this  locality,  such  as  the  koodoo  and 
hartebeest,  and  besides  these  there  were  giraffes  and 
Burchell's  zebras,  the  last  erroneously  called  quaggas. 
Already  Matabeles  were  beginning  to  prowl  about. 
Lieutenant  Borrow  and  Mr.  Judd  came  in  from  a  sev- 
eral days'  trip  at  hunting  horses,  and  reported  having 
seen  two  bands  of  these  savages. 

We  arrived  at  the  Tuli  River  on  July  1st,  and 
the  Pioneers  immediately  joined  with  A  troop  of  the 
Police  in  building  a  fort  on  the  hill.  At  first  this 
was  called  Fort  Selous,  but  afterward  its  name  was 
changed  to  Fort  Tuli.  It  was  to  be  our  base  camp. 
We  now  understood  tliat  we  were  to  go  forward  in 
company  with  three  troops  of  Police,  which  we  had 
met  here,  dIz.  :  A,  B,  and  C,  commanded  respectively 
by  Captains  Heyman  and  Forbes,  and  Major  Wil- 
loughb}^  These,  with  the  Pioneers  and  prospectors, 
would  make  in  all  between  four  and  five  hundred  men, 
and  the  entire  expedition  would  be  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pennefather,  of  the  Brit- 
ish army.  The  rest  of  the  British  South  Africa  Com- 
pany Police  were  to  remain  at  Tuli,  ready  to  go  forward 
when  required.  Two  hundred  Bamangwatos  now 
joined  us,  having  been  supplied  by  the  chief,  Khama. 
They  were  expected  to  be  of  use  for  scouting  and  also 
in  building  the  road. 

A  few  months  earlier,  permission  had  been  obtained 
from  Lo  Bengula  by  Dr.  L.  S.  Jameson,  who  had  vis- 
ited him  at  Bulawayo,  to  cut  a  road  through  his 
country  into  Mashonaland.  While  we  were  at  Tuli, 
messengers  came  twice  with  orders  from  Lo  Bengula, 
commanding  the  white  men  to  make  no  advance 
through  the  eastern  part  of  his  territory.  His  dictator- 


FKOM  MAFEKING  TO  THE  TULI  EIVER  77 

ial  injunction  now  was  that  if  the  white  men  were  bent 
upon  trekking  to  Mashonaland,  they  must  go  by  the 
route  which  lay  through  his  town  of  Bulawayo.  It 
was  apparent  that  when  he  gave  his  permission  to  build 
the  road  he  believed  that  the  task  would  never  be  at- 
tempted. But  the  white  men  were  now  executing  a 
flank  move,  which  he  had  not  expected.  About  this 
time,  also,  the  Bechuanaland  Border  Police,  who  had 
been  stationed  at  Macloutsie,  were  moved  to  the  west 
of  the  Matabele  border,  thus  putting  Lo  Bengula  in  a 
dilemma  by  menacing  him  from  two  sides  of  his  pos- 
sessions. 

While  the  fort  was  being  completed,  and  arrange- 
ments were  being  made  for  the  advance  of  the  main  col- 
umn from  Fort  Tuli,  orders  were  given  for  B  troop  of 
the  Pioneers,  to  which  I  belonged,  to  cross  the  Tuli 
River  on  July  6th,  and  with  Mr.  Selous  as  guide,  to 
proceed  in  cutting  the  road.  The  main  column  was  to 
follow  a  few  days  later.  We  had  now  travelled  four 
hundred  miles  from  Mafeking,  and  another  four  hun- 
dred miles  of  trackless  wilderness  still  lay  between  us 
and  Mount  Hampden. 

Before  the  troop  left  Tuli,  I  wrote  some  letters,  to 
one  of  which  the  following  is  an  answer : 

Dear  Sir  :  Your  letter  of  July  6th,  written  from 
Tuli  River,  has  just  arrived.  I  hope  that  you  will  have 
success  in  Matabeleland.  We  are  looking  forward 
with  much  interest  to  the  particulars  of  your  trip. 
The  collections  of  minerals,  shells,  birds,  fishes,  mam- 
mals, insects,  reptiles,  ethnological  objects,  and  other 
material  already  transmitted  by  you,  have  been  re- 
ceived, and  are  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Curators  for 
identification.  Their  reports  upon  the  collections  will 
be  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  National  Mu- 


78  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIEK 

seum.  I  have  written  letters  of  thanks  to  all  the  gen- 
tlemen mentioned  by  you  in  one  of  your  earlier  letters 
as  having  rendered  assistance  to  you  in  your  work. 
You  seem  to  have  been  very  fortunate  in  securing 
their  good-will  and  friendly  aid. 

"Wishing  you  continued  success,  I  am, 
Yours  truly, 

"G-.  BrOWN^  GrOODE, 

''Assistant  Secretary,  Smithsonian  Institution^ 


CHAPTER  VH 


CUTTING  A  ROAD  THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS 

B  Troop  Crosses  the  Tuli  River  and  Begins  Cutting  the 
Road— Captain  Selous  Interviews  Makalaka  Natives — A 
Banyai  Settlement — The  Main  Column  Overtakes  B  Troop 
— More  Diplomacy  with  Lo  Bengula — Preparations  for  a 
Possible  Attack  of  Matabeles — ''Horse  Sickness" — View 
from  the  Top  of  Sugar- Loaf  Mountain — Fording  the  Lundi 
River — Skinning  a  Hippopotamus — Inconvenient  Sancti- 
moniousness of  Bamangwatos — The  Matabeles  Threaten 
to  "  Wipe  us  Out " — An  Interesting  Scouting  Trip — A 
False  Alarm — More  Scouting. 

At  mid-day  on  July  6th,  B  troop,  under  Captain 
Hoste,  accompanied  by  Dr.  L.  S.  Jameson  and  Mr.  F. 
C.  Selous,  crossed  the  Tuli  River  and  began  cutting 
the  road.  We  took  with  us  but  one  wagon  to  carry  our 
kit,  and  one  water-cart.  Our  method  of  working  was 
to  begin  at  daylight  and  continue  until  sundown  or 
dark,  with  a  few  hours'  rest  during  the  middle  of  the 
day.  At  night  we  slept  within  a  rectangular  enclos- 
ure called  a  zareba,  made  of  thorn  bushes.  The 
Wagon  was  placed  at  one  end  and  the  water-cart  at 
the  other,  and  between  them  was  stretched  a  rope  to 
which  the  horses  were  attached.  As  there  were  no 
Kafir  servants  with  us,  we  had  to  get  our  own  wood 
and  water,  do  our  own  cooking,  and  look  after  the 
horses  and  cattle.    This,  with  chopping  trees  all  day 

79 


80 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 


and  doing  guard  duty  at  night,  made  the  work  very 
heavy.  The  party  was  composed  of  strong  young 
men,  largely  farmers'  sons  from  the  Cape  Colony,  all 
of  whom  were  equal  to  the  emergency. 

The  troop  was  divided  into  two  sections.  While 
one  section  worked  at  cutting  the  road,  the  other 
acted  as  body-guard  by  following  close  behind, 
mounted,  and  leading  the  saddle-horses  of  the  work- 
ing party.  Thus  we  were  ready  for  action  in  case  of 
surprise  from  Matabeles.  Mr.  Selous  rode  on  his 
shooting  pony  in  front  of  the  road  party,  and  pointed 
out  the  trees  to  be  felled.  As  the  Colonials  cut  all 
the  way  around  a  tree,  in  imitation  of  the  Kafirs,  in- 
stead of  chopping  on  two  sides  of  it,  as  do  the  Ameri- 
can and  Canadian  woodcutters,  it  was  necessary  to  be 
on  the  alert,  for  one  knew  not  the  direction  in  which  a 
tree  would  fall  until  it  started.  We  often  came  to 
small  streams  and  to  rivers,  where  we  had  to  make 
fords,  or  "  drifts,"  as  they  are  called  in  South  Africa. 
At  most  of  these  places  it  was  necessary  to  level  the 
banks  with  picks  and  shovels.  Where  the  river-beds 
were  sandy,  a  corduroy  road  was  made  between  the 
bank  and  the  water,  while  in  the  stream  bags  of  sand 
were  laid  to  make  a  firm  bottom.  Some  of  the  river- 
beds were  full  of  rocks,  and  we  had  often  to  roll  aside 
the  largest. 

The  second  evening  we  camped  near  a  small  Maka- 
laka  village,  from  which  seven  men  came  to  visit  us. 
Mr.  Selous  talked  with  them  through  an  inter- 
preter, explaining  matters  thus:  '-The  white  men 
have  paid  Lo  Bengula  for  the  privilege  of  making  a 
road  through  his  country  to  Mashonaland ;  the  Mata- 
beles now  say  that  we  must  not  make  the  road,  but  we 
will  do  it  if  we  have  to  fight  them.  No  one  is  to  dis- 
turb the  black  people  along  the  route,  and  everything 


CUTTING  A  KOAD   THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS  81 

obtained  from  them  will  be  paid  for.  When  the  road 
is  finished,  and  the  white  men  get  into  Mashonaland, 
they  will  make  Lo  Bengula  quit  raiding  and  killing 
people,  and  stealing  their  goats,  cattle,  women,  and 
children."  Mr.  Selous  finally  secured  the  services  of 
two  of  these  Makalaka  men  as  guides. 

Scouts  were  sent  out  each  day,  and  I  was  one  of 
the  six  troopers  placed  by  the  Captain  on  permanent 
scouting  duty.  My  first  experience  at  the  work  was 
with  Alexander  Buncombe  Campbell,  a  young  man 
from  the  Cape  Colony.  He  was  enthusiastic  over  the 
subject  of  raising  bees,  and  said  he  intended  going 
into  the  bee  industry  in  Mashonaland.  He  was  con- 
tinually talking  about  bees'  nests,  and  watching  the 
trees  and  ant-heaps  for  them.  There  was  plenty  of 
water  in  this  neighborhood  ;  and  we  saw  much  game, 
among  which  were  several  large  antelopes  called  sable 
antelopes,  thirteen  Burchell's  zebras,  and  one  stein- 
buck. 

The  sable  antelope  were  about  the  size  of  an  Indian 
pony.  They  were  shiny  black,  with  white  bellies, 
long  curved  horns,  and  erect  manes.  As  with  head 
lifted  high  and  glossy  coats  shining,  these  splendid 
creatures  stood  staring  at  us,  I  was  struck  with 
amazement  at  their  sprightly  appearance  and  at  their 
symmetry  in  body  and  limb.  It  seemed  to  me  that  of 
all  hoofed  animals  the  sable  antelope  must  be,  with- 
out exception,  the  most  magnificent.  At  a  shout  from 
us  the  herd  wheeled  and  sped  away  like  the  wind. 

We  went  to  the  top  of  a  rocky  kopje,  and  found 
that  it  had  once  been  a  native  fortification.  On  it 
were  piles  of  broken  antelope  bones,  which  indicated 
that  the  people  who  had  dwelt  there  had  lived  largely 
by  the  chase.  The  view  from  this  high  point  was  really 
beautiful.    In  the  valley  below,  antelope  were  feeding, 

6 


82        ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

but  we  did  not  fire  at  them,  because  we  had  strict  or- 
ders against  shooting  at  game  when  out  scouting,  as 
it  would  be  likely  to  alarm  the  road  party.  Campbell 
and  I  were  observed,  and  taken  for  Matabeles,  by  Cap- 
tain Hoste,  Mr.  Selous,  and  Dr.  Litchfield,  who  had 
gone  a  little  way  beyond  the  camp  at  sundown,  and 
through  their  field-glasses  espied  us  on  the  hill.  The 
glistening  of  the  sun  on  our  guns  made  them  think 
that  they  saw  flashes  of  light  from  the  assegais  of  the 
Matabeles.  They  were  confident  that  they  saw  feathers 
in  our  heads  and  spears  in  our  hands,  and  when  we  re- 
turned to  camp,  it  was  difficult  to  convince  them  that  it 
was  white  men  and  not  Matabeles  that  they  had  seen. 

Our  party  labored  unceasingly  at  the  road,  and  by 
July  10th  we  had  completed  it  to  a  river  called  the 
Umzingwani,  a  beautiful  stream  with  reeds  growing 
along  its  banks.  On  the  north  side  there  were  high 
rocky  kopjes  covered  with  deserted  Kafir  fortifica- 
tions, while  on  the  flat  toward  the  south  grew  large 
thorn-trees.  It  was  a  difficult  river  to  ford;  so  the 
wagon  was  taken  across  empty,  and  afterward  the 
goods  were  carried  over  by  the  Pioneers.  At  this  place 
we  saw  a  species  of  large  antelope  called  the  water- 
buck.  During  the  night  we  heard  them  splashing  in 
the  river  where  they  came  to  drink. 

After  leaving  the  Umzingwani  River  we  crossed 
eighteen  miles  of  level,  waterless,  bush  country,  and 
arrived  on  the  13th  at  the  Umshabetsi  River.  As  the 
water  was  running  under  the  surface  of  the  sand,  we 
found  it  necessary  to  dig  holes  for  the  horses  to  drink 
from.  Here  we  found  the  fresh  spoor  (tracks)  of  a 
herd  of  elephants  that  had  visited  the  river  the  night 
before.  We  saw  many  places  where  they  had  actually 
dug  in  the  sand  for  water,  and  with  their  forefeet  had 
excavated  small  holes. 


CUTTING  A  ROAD  THROUGH  THE   WILDERNESS  83 

Several  mounted  Bamangwatos  were  sent  forward 
to  do  scouting  for  us.  One  of  them  went  out  the  next 
day  in  company  with  a  man  named  Edgehill  and  my- 
self ;  and  as  Edgehill  was  in  charge  of  the  vidette,  he 
led  the  way.  I  soon  noticed  that  he  was  riding  in 
circles,  but  I  did  not  like  to  tell  him  of  it  for  fear  of 
giving  offence.  We  finally  came  across  a  newly  made 
road,  which  Edgehill  argued  could  not  be  the  one  cut 
by  our  troop.  We  followed  it  and,  nevertheless,  soon 
arrived  at  camp,  thus  returning  much  earlier  than 
we  had  intended.  In  travelling  through  the  dense 
bush,  if  one  does  not  watch  his  shadow  closely,  keep- 
ing in  mind  the  change  of  the  sun,  or  should  it  be 
cloudy,  observe  the  direction  of  the  wind,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  follow  a  definite  course,  and  one  is  likely  to 
describe  all  sorts  of  curves  and  circles  while  thinking 
he  is  going  in  a  straight  line. 

On  July  15th  orders  were  received  from  Colonel 
Pennefather  for  the  road  party  to  halt  until  the  column, 
which  had  started  from  Fort  Tuli  on  the  11th,  should 
arrive.  It  had  been  decided  that  the  road-makers 
should  keep  but  ten  miles  ahead  of  the  wagon-train. 
Captain  Hoste,  Mr.  Selous,  and  Dr.  Jameson  were 
much  annoyed  by  the  orders,  as  they  were  anxious  to 
push  forward.  The  two  latter  returned  to  the  main 
body,  while  the  troop  was  left  to  prepare  a  laagering- 
place  for  the  column  which  was  to  arrive  on  the 
18th. 

Lieutenant  Nicholson,  who  was  second  in  charge  of 
the  scouts,  with  two  Bamangwatos,  and  a  young  man 
named  Griffiths  for  interpreter,  went  fifteen  miles  be- 
yond our  camp  to  a  high  range  of  hills  called  the 
Nambandi.  There  they  found  a  settlement  of  Banyai, 
who  were  said  to  be  the  original  inhabitants  of  Mata- 
beleland.    These  people  were  not  of  a  warlike  nature, 


84 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


and  they  had  been  persecuted  by  the  Matabeles,  of 
whom  they  lived  in  mortal  dread,  until  few  remained. 
High  up  among  the  rocks,  in  almost  inaccessible 
places,  these  timid  beings  dwelt  in  neighborly  proxim- 
ity to  the  baboons  and  monkeys.  Their  fields  were 
in  the  valleys  below,  where  they  raised  Kafir  corn, 
mealies,  and  melons.  They  owned  sheep,  goats,  and 
beautiful  spotted  cattle  of  a  small  breed;  but  the 
Matabeles  were  in  the  habit  of  making  periodical  raids 
on  them,  robbing  them  of  their  male  live-stock. 

One  of  the  Banyai,  who  came  to  our  camp  with  Lieu- 
tenant Nicholson,  said  that  the  Matabeles  had  pil- 
laged his  kraal  (village)  five  days  before  the  arrival  of 
the  white  men,  and  had  taken  from  him  everything  he 
possessed.  These  marauders  made  a  practice  of  killing 
the  grown  men,  training  the  boys  for  soldiers,  and  in- 
corporating the  women  and  children  into  their  tribe. 
The  Banyai  were  apparently  good-natured  creatures, 
small  of  stature,  though  symmetrically  and  strongly 
built.  The  scouting  party  came  upon  a  man  working  in 
his  field,  near  whom  were  several  big,  shaggy  baboons 
industriously  digging  for  roots.  The  savage  was 
frightened  at  the  appearance  of  the  white  men,  but 
the  baboons  worked  on,  paying  little  heed  to  the  in- 
truders. The  presence  of  the  visitors  was  explained  to 
the  man,  and  at  each  pause  he  exclaimed,  ' '  Umbaba, 
Umbaba."  Presently,  some  twenty-five  of  his  people 
gathered  about,  and  held  consultation  with  Lieuten- 
ant Nicholson.  They  favored  the  passage  of  the  ex- 
pedition, but  were  afraid  that  the  Matabeles  would 
kill  them  if  they  did  not  inform  Lo  Bengula  that  the 
white  men  were  in  their  district.  In  fact  Lo  Bengula 
had  ordered  them  to  do  this.  The  old  man  offered  the 
party  a  watermelon.  In  reply  to  the  question  as  to 
how  much  he  wanted  for  it,  he  asked  if  the  white  men 


CUTTING  A  ROAD   THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS  85 

never  received  offerings.  Then  it  was  explained  to 
him  that  English  people  always  pay  for  what  they  get, 
and  do  not  take  by  force,  as  do  the  Matabeles. 

During  the  interview  the  baby  baboons  up  among 
the  rocks  near  the  dwellings  of  the  natives,  were  heard 
crying — exactly  like  human  babies.  The  Banyai  were 
asked  if  the  baboons  did  not  molest  the  children,  but 
they  replied,    No,  they  are  friends  with  one  another." 

On  the  morning  of  July  18th,  which  was  cold  and 
rainy,  the  main  body  of  the  expedition  arrived, 
and  laagered  near  us.  It  was  now  ordered  that  B 
troop  of  the  Pioneers  should  act  as  rear-guard  for  a 
week,  while  A  troop  should  go  ahead  and  cut  the  road. 
The  column  was  at  this  time  composed  of  two  hundred 
Police  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  Pioneers,  with 
Colonel  Pennefather  in  command.  The  sixty-five 
wagons  were  formed  into  a  double  laager  at  night, 
the  Police  occupying  one-half,  the  Pioneers  the  other. 
Mr.  A.  E.  Colquhoun,  who  was  to  be  the  Administra- 
tor of  Mashonaland,  was  also  travelling  with  the  col- 
umn. There  were,  likewise,  some  professional  gold- 
seekers  with  us,  who  were  engaged  to  do  prospecting 
for  a  syndicate  of  the  British  South  Africa  Company 
Police  officers. 

It  was  rumored  about  camp  that  more  or  less  di- 
plomacy was  being  carried  on  between  Lo  Bengula 
and  the  leaders  of  the  expedition.  The  Matabele 
king  wrote,  asking  the  officer  in  command  what  the 
white  men  had  lost  that  they  were  coming  into  his  coun- 
try to  find.  Two  important  "indunas"  (chiefs)  were 
said  to  have  been  sent  by  Lo  Bengula  to  the  Governor 
of  the  Cape  Colony,  to  have  him  stop  us  from  going 
into  his  country.  One  of  these  was  Babian,  who, 
about  a  year  before,  in  company  with  another  chief, 
had  visited  England  and  interviewed  the  Queen.  It 


86  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

was  believed  that  Lo  Bengula  would  keep  Ms  warriors 
from  attacking  the  column  until  the  return  of  his  en- 
voys. Another  rumor  floating  about  the  camp  was  to 
the  effect  that  a  man  named  Doyle  had  engaged  a 
seat  in  the  post-cart  for  some  weeks  in  advance,  so 
that  the  messengers  would  be  obliged  to  go  to  Kim- 
berley  in  ox- wagons.  As  this  journey  would  require 
several  weeks,  it  was  hoped  that  we  should  arrive  in 
Mashonaland  before  the  Governor  could  order  the  ex- 
pedition to  turn  back — should  he  feel  in  duty  bound 
to  do  so. 

We  were  eleven  miles  beyond  the  Umshabetsi  Eiver 
on  July  20th.  I  was  on  outlying  picket  that  night, 
and  heard  hyenas,  baboons,  and  monkeys  howling. 
Although  the  night  was  comparatively  cool,  there  was 
a  heavy  fog,  but  the  hot  sun  of  the  morning  dispelled 
it.  From  the  Umshabetsi  two  roads  were  made,  from 
thirty  to  two  hundred  yards  apart,  in  order  that  laager 
might  be  formed  more  readily  in  case  of  attack.  It 
seemed  to  be  the  general  opinion  that  we  might  meet 
the  Matabeles  within  the  next  ten  days,  as  we  were  to 
pass  through  rough,  hilly  country  ;  and  for  this  rea- 
son extra  precautions  were  taken.  An  outlying  pick- 
et of  thirty  men  was  kept  in  readiness  with  horses 
saddled,  from  reveille  till  daylight.  For  all  this  it 
seemed  to  me  there  was  much  carelessness.  One 
night,  for  instance,  six  wagons,  which  had  been  mired, 
were  left  behind  without  a  guard.  It  was  dark  when 
laager  was  formed,  and  it  was  fully  eight  o'clock  be- 
fore those  wagons  arrived  in  camp.  Had  the  Mata- 
beles been  like  the  American  Indians,  they  would 
have  killed  the  drivers,  plundered  and  burned  the 
wagons,  taken  the  bullocks,  and  disappeared. 

Up  to  this  time  ninety  of  the  Pioneer  horses  had 
died  of  "  horse  sickness."    This  disease,  I  was  told,  is 


CUTTING  A  ROAD   THROUGH  THE   WILDERNESS  87 

not  understood,  and  is  usually  fatal.  Some  horses,  how- 
ever, get  it  every  year  and  recover.  These  are  called 
"  salted,"  which  means,  I  suppose,  acclimatized.  The 
malady  seems  to  be  a  kind  of  malarial  fever,  which 
usually  abates  during  the  winter  season.  It  is  worse 
along  the  rivers,  and  by  some  it  is  supposed  to  be  con- 
tracted from  the  reeds  growing  there,  of  which  horses 
are  fond.  Possibly  the  germs  of  the  disease  do  exist 
among  the  reeds.  There  are  two  varieties  of  this  sick- 
ness, viz. :  "dikkop"  and  "dinkop."  In  dikkop  the 
head  swells  above  the  eyes  ;  in  dinkop  there  is  run- 
niQg  at  the  nose.  Horses  afflicted  with  the  latter 
usually  die  suddenly  and  violently,  apparently  from 
strangulation. 

On  July  22d  we  travelled  through  a  district  of  level 
plains  lying  between  hills.  The  latter  were  almost 
mountains  in  size,  and  many  of  them  were  dome-shaped 
and  bare.  Their  appearance  was  yellow  or  rusty,  and 
they  were  covered  with  bushes  and  trees  part  way  up 
their  sides.  On  the  plains  the  grass  was  green  in  some 
places,  and  at  times  as  tall  as  a  man  on  horseback. 
Between  many  of  the  ranges  were  beautiful  parks  with 
great  forest-trees,  and  occasionally  an  immense  baobab. 

Perched  high  up  among  the  rocks  on  the  hills  were 
Banyai  villages,  whose  inhabitants  were  likewise  per- 
secuted by  Lo  Bengula.  About  two  months  before, 
the  Matabeles  had  kidnapped  their  wives  and  children. 
The  robbers  were  followed,  and  when  they  were  least 
expecting  it,  the  Banyai  rushed  upon  them  with  a 
yell.  The  Matabeles  bolted,  and  the  women  and  chil- 
dren fell  into  the  hands  of  their  own  people.  The  na- 
tives brought  peanuts,  Indian  corn,  Kafir  corn,  and 
other  articles  for  sale.  I  made  a  trip  to  their  houses, 
situated  among  the  rocks  in  an  enclosure,  into  which 
they  drove  their  goats  and  cattle  at  night. 


88  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIEE 

On  July  25tli  some  Matabeles  arrived  for  an  inter- 
view with  the  ^'induna"  commanding  the  expedition. 
Exaggerated  reports  came  in  the  same  day  of  the  sav- 
ages stopping  A  troop  wagons.  According  to  first  ac- 
counts there  were  thousands  of  them,  but  the  num- 
ber eventually  dwindled  to  ten. 

A  few  days  later  I  made  the  ascent  of  a  kopje,  called 
Sugar-loaf  Mountain,  near  which  the  column  halted  for 
dinner,  and  carried  Mr.  Fry e' s  aneroid  barometer  with 
me  to  determine  its  height.  It  was  over  six  hundred 
feet  above  the  valley,  which  was  three  thousand  feet 
above  sea-level.  Many  of  these  isolated  hills  could 
be  seen  rising  abruptly  from  the  ground  like  so  many 
rounded,  solid,  granite  rocks  almost  destitute  of  vegeta- 
tion. The  one  in  question  was  so  steep  that  the  summit 
could  be  reached  onl}^  from  one  side,  along  which  was 
scanty  vegetation.  On  the  top,  however,  were  some 
bushes,  among  which  I  saw  many  lizards  darting  about. 

It  was  warm  work  climbing  during  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon,  but  the  view  amply  repaid  the  exer- 
tion. To  the  northeast  was  the  Lundi  River,  winding 
among  hills  and  over  bushy  plains.  To  the  southeast 
I  could  see  the  Ingesi  and  several  smaller  rivers  which 
empty  into  the  Lundi.  Mountains  covered  with  trees, 
bushes,  and  large  rocks  rose  in  all  directions,  many 
of  them  terminating  in  sharp  peaks.  The  foliage  of 
the  trees  was  yellow  and  green,  while  the  ripe  grass 
was  yellow  or  gray.  Below,  extending  for  several 
miles  toward  the  Lundi,  was  our  train  composed  of 
horsemen,  wagons,  herds  of  goats  and  sheep,  donkeys 
and  cattle.  Just  across  the  valley,  on  a  hill  where 
some  huts  were  hidden  among  the  trees,  I  could 
hear  roosters  crowing.  On  the  sloping  tops  of  the 
neighboring  rocks  were  natives  squatting  in  groups, 
scarcely  discernible  except  with  glasses,  but  whose 


Sugar-loaf  Mountain. 


CUTTING  A  EOAD   THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS  89 

presence  was  disclosed  by  their  loud  talking.  They 
were  doubtless  viewing  with  amazement  the  long  pro- 
cession. As  the  column  passed  that  evening  by  the 
side  of  one  of  these  high  rocks  covered  with  dusky 
spectators,  a  hoary -headed  Banyai  called  in  pitying 
accents  to  the  horsemen  below,  "  Oh,  white  men,  white 
men  !  alas  !  alas  !  You  are  going  to  be  sacrificed  on 
the  spears  of  Lo  Bengula' s  warriors  ;  and  the  White 
Mother  will  weep  for  her  lost  children ! " 

We  arrived  at  the  Lundi  River  on  August  2d,  and 
formed  camp  on  the  northeast  bank.  This  river  is  a 
swift-running  stream  of  considerable  size,  more  than 
waist  deep  during  the  dry  season.  In  many  places 
the  clear  water  runs  over  a  rough  rocky  bottom.  As 
the  ford  was  bad,  several  hours  were  required  for  the 
column  to  cross,  and  the  troopers  were  obliged  to  strip 
in  order  to  help  in  getting  the  wagons  over.  All  hands 
pulled  in  front  of  the  bullocks  by  a  rope  tied  to  the 
trek-chain.  The  day  was  cloudy  and  cool,  but  in  spite 
of  its  being  chilly  work,  we  had  great  sport  in  driving 
the  sheep,  goats,  and  donkeys  safely  through — and  in 
pulling  into  the  river  and  ducking  the  men  who  en- 
deavored to  cross  in  the  wagons  with  dry  clothes.  Some 
were  made  very  angry,  particularly  the  apothecary, 
Hoskins,  who  vowed  he  would  be  revenged  though 
it  should  take  him  fifty  years.  The  parsons  and  the 
priest  were  not  molested. 

The  next  day  Major  Johnson  and  the  Burnetts  shot 
four  hippopotami.  They  looked  for  them  the  follow- 
ing morning  and  found  three,  two  bulls  and  a  large 
cow,  and  the  Major  sent  for  me  to  direct  the  skinning 
operations.  I  cut  the  heads  off  the  bulls,  and  the 
Bamangwatos  and  drivers  skinned  the  bodies.  These 
were  about  two  miles  from  the  laager,  while  the 
cow  was  three  miles  farther  on.    The  Major  told  me  I 


90 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


could  have  tlie  skin  of  the  latter  for  the  Museum,  and 
five  Pioneers  accompanied  me  to  the  place  v^here  she 
lay,  v^hile  the  Bamangwatos  were  instructed  to  follow. 
In  order  to  skin  the  animal,  we  found  it  necessary  to 
float  it  down  the  river  to  a  shallow  place.  Accordingly, 
Cowie,  Banks,  and  another  young  man  stripped  and 
went  into  the  water  to  help  me.  Pusey  made  a  sketch 
of  me  while  I  was  astride  the  carcass,  pushing  it  down 
stream  with  a  pole.  As  the  water  was  so  deep  that  we 
could  not  see  the  bottom,  we  were  afraid  of  crocodiles, 
hence,  while  swimming  about,  we  took  great  care  to  do 
plenty  of  splashing  in  order  to  scare  the  reptiles  away. 
We  succeeded  finally  in  getting  the  defunct ' '  hippo ' '  to 
a  good  landing-place,  where  we  took  measurements,  and 
then  cut  off  the  head,  which  we  dragged  to  the  bank. 
JSTo  Bamangwatos  made  their  appearance.  We  pro- 
ceeded to  the  camp,  and  found  that,  contrary  to  orders, 
they  had  returned  with  the  Scotch  cart  sent  for  the 
two  heads  and  the  meat. 

The  next  morning,  accompanied  by  two  Pioneers 
and  fifteen  Bamangwatos,  I  went  with  an  ox-cart  to 
the  cow  hippopotamus.  By  the  middle  of  the  after- 
noon we  had  skinned  the  animal  and  preserved  the 
leg  bones  and  skull.  The  Bamangwatos  cut  off  every 
available  portion  of  the  meat,  which  had  begun  to  de- 
cay. They  were  skilful  in  the  use  of  the  knife,  and 
worked  well,  having  been  promised  the  meat  if  they 
did  so.  Major  Johnson  had  me  relieved  from  all  duty 
until  the  skins  should  be  preserved,  detailing  two  Ba- 
mangwatos to  assist  me.  They  understood  trimming 
hides,  but  it  took  great  patience  and  much  persuasion 
to  get  them  started  to  work,  and  still  more  patience 
and  persuasion  to  keep  them  at  it. 

The  Bamangwatos  were  the  most  annoying  people  it 
had  ever  been  my  misfortune  to  meet.    They  were  set 


CUTTING  A  EOAD   THROUGH  THE   WILDEENESS  91 

at  road-making  for  awMle,  but  the  Pioneers  objected 
to  working  near  tliern  on  account  of  tlieir  offensive 
odor.  It  was  stated  that  they  had  been  brought  with 
the  expedition  to  flatter  Khama,  their  chief,  and  also 
to  please  those  people  in  England  who  take  special 
interest  in  the  Bamangwato  nation  because  they  pro- 
fess Christianity.  They  read  the  Bible,  sing,  and  pray 
a  great  deal ;  but  the  men  of  our  expedition  who  had 
been  at  their  town,  Palap3^e,  all  agreed  that  tlieir  re- 
ligion was  not  deep-seated. 

One  morning  I  went  on  patrol  with  three  white  men 
and  three  Bamangwatos.  Our  orders  were  to  leave 
before  daylight.  The  white  men  were  ready  at  the 
appointed  time,  but  the  Bamangwatos  did  not  appear. 
Sergeant  Birkley,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  patrol, 
went  to  look  for  them  and  found  them  holding  morn- 
ing services,  with  prayer  and  singing.  Daylight  came, 
and  the  impatient  Birkley  went  again  to  induce  them 
to  start,  but  they  were  still  praying.  The  sun  rose, 
and  the  wagons  began  moving  out  of  the  laager  ;  still 
they  had  not  finished  their  devotions.  Birkley's  pa- 
tience was  now  completely  exhausted.  Going  back 
for  them  again,  he  succeeded  at  last  in  bringing  them 
with  him.  Nevertheless,  they  would  not  hurry,  and 
the  Sergeant  impatiently  said  to  them,  *'0h,  damn 
you,  come  on."  At  this  they  were  highly  indignant, 
and  wheeling  their  horses  around,  started  for  an  inter- 
view with  the  Commanding  Officer,  muttering  to  them- 
selves, ^'  Damn  !  Damn  !  Damn  !  "  They  reported  that 
the  white  baas  had  said  "  damn  "  to  them.  What  con- 
solation they  received  from  the  Commander  I  never 
learned,  but  they  were  sullen  during  the  entire  patrol, 
and  would  have  nothing  to  say  to  us.  When  we 
stopped  to  make  coffee  and  let  our  horses  graze,  they 
again  held  religious  services,  with  Bible  reading,  sing- 


92 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


ing,  and  prayer,  and  then  spent  the  rest  of  the  time  in 
searching  for  vermin  in  one  another's  woolly  heads, 
and  in  their  dirty,  greasy  clothing.  The  Bamangwatos 
were  finally  altogether  dispensed  with  as  scouts,  pre- 
sumably on  account  of  their  laziness  and  cowardice. 

The  column  left  the  Lundi  River  on  August  6th, 
and  B  troop  was  sent  forward  again  to  cut  the 
road.  On  the  same  day  word  came  from  Lo  Bengula 
by  Mr.  Colenbrander,  informing  the  Commander  of 
the  expedition  that  his  people  had  risen  in  spite  of 
him  and  were  on  the  road  to  "wipe  us  out,"  9,000  sol- 
diers in  all.  Our  entire  party  was  to  be  killed,  except 
Selous,  Johnson,  and  Cherry,  who  were  to  be  skinned 
alive.  Lo  Bengula  advised  that  the  column  should 
turn  back,  as  he  was  unable  to  control  his  warriors. 

That  evening  Mr.  H.  Montague  informed  me  that  I 
had  been  chosen  to  go  scouting  with  him.  Montague 
was  for  many  years  captain  in  the  Cape  Mounted  Ri- 
fles, a  noted  South  African  military  corps,  and  had 
taken  part  in  several  campaigns  against  the  Kafirs. 
He  gained  distinction  for  bravery  in  the  Basuto  war  by 
riding  through  the  enemy's  country  with  a  despatch 
for  help,  when  Sir  Frederick  Carrington,  with  six  hun- 
dred men,  was  hemmed  in  at  Mafeteng.  Mr.  Selous, 
Chief  of  the  Intelligence  Department,  in  sending  Mon- 
tague on  a  scouting  trip  to  the  west  of  the  route  of 
the  column,  had  given  him  the  privilege  of  selecting 
a  companion ;  and  I  considered  it  quite  an  honor  to 
be  chosen. 

The  impending  advance  of  a  Matabele  army  through 
the  hills  to  the  west,  made  Montague's  task  of  scout- 
ing in  that  direction  the  most  hazardous  work  done  by 
any  of  the  Pioneers.  On  his  ability  to  gain  informa- 
tion of  hostile  savages,  and,  in  the  event  of  finding 
any,  to  get  word  to  the  column,  would  perhaps  depend 


CUTTING  A  ROAD   THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS  93 

a  successful  encounter  with  the  barbarians.  Or  should 
he  fail,  and  the  force  be  surprised,  the  affair  might 
result  in  the  complete  annihilation  of  our  small  band. 
These  uncertainties  and  anxieties,  together  with  the 
dangers  connected  with  scouting,  made  it  far  more  ex- 
citing than  the  hunting  of  ferocious  wild  animals.  In 
fact,  scouting  in  the  enemy's  country,  with  its  in- 
cumbent dangers,  is  the  most  fascinating  of  all  pur- 
suits, and  requires  in  a  man — if  he  is  to  meet  with 
success — the  combination  of  steady  nerve,  quick  con- 
ception of  directions,  and  ability  to  take  immediate 
advantage  of  circumstances  and  surroundings. 

The  next  morning  Montague  and  I  took  our  course 
through  a  hilly  country  several  miles  to  the  left  of  the 
road.  It  was  a  thickly  populated  region,  and  the 
valleys  were  filled  with  fields  of  rice,  mealies,  and 
Kafir  corn.  The  people,  who  were  Makalakas,  built 
their  houses  in  rocky  fastnesses.  We  passed  one  very 
picturesque  village  situated  among  the  rocks  on  a  hill- 
side. At  this  place,  a  crowd  of  good-natured,  health}^- 
looking  men  and  boys  persisted  in  following  us,  and 
we  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  rid  of  them.  Al- 
though the  inhabitants  of  this  district  paid  tribute  to 
Lo  Bengula,  they  seemed  to  be  far  more  independent 
than  the  Banyai.  They  had  beaten  the  Matabeles  in 
battle  as  often  as  the  Matabeles  had  beaten  them. 

After  crossing  a  rushing  torrent,  we  were  guided 
along  a  path  for  some  distance  by  a  native  who 
wore  a  topknot  of  long  black  curly  hair  trained  out 
with  pieces  of  bark.  He  led  us  through  beautiful 
valleys  in  which  men  and  women  were  industriously 
digging  the  ground  with  small  short-handled  hoes. 
We  were  joined  by  another  troop  of  men  and  boys 
who  volunteered  to  show  us  the  way  through  a 
pass  between  the  hills.    They  were  armed  with  asse- 


94  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIEB 

gais,  guns,  bows,  and  arrows,  and  knobkerries  (clubs). 
Their  fire-arms  were  all  old  muzzle-loading  muskets 
wliich  tliey  carried  at  full  cock,  thrown  carelessly  over 
their  shoulders.  To  ride  along  behind  them,  looking 
down  the  muzzles  of  their  loaded  guns,  was  anything 
but  agreeable.  They  invited  us  to  their  village  to 
spend  the  night,  but  Montague  objected,  saying  that 
although  they  were  ostensibly  amiable,  they  were 
not  to  be  trusted,  and  that  in  all  probability  we  should 
be  murdered  by  them  during  the  night  for  the  few 
things  which  we  possessed.  As  he  had  been  born  and 
reared  in  the  Cape  Colony  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Kafir  tribes,  I  naturally  heeded  his  judgment,  although 
it  did  not  seem  to  me  that  such  innocent-looking  creat- 
ures could  be  capable  of  treachery. 

They  guided  us  through  a  pass  over  which  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  get  our  horses,  and  at  sunset 
landed  us  in  a  valley  among  the  hills.  Taking 
their  pay  in  pieces  of  drj^  biscuit,  they  returned 
happy.  These  people  dressed  very  scantily,  wearing 
one  piece  of  tanned  skin  in  front  and  one  behind  fast- 
ened about  the  loins.  They  were  decorated  with  or- 
naments of  beads,  bracelets  of  brass  and  iron  wire, 
and  charms  of  various  kinds  worn  about  the  neck. 
They  were  apparently  wealth}^,  as  many  herds  of  cat- 
tle and  sheep  were  to  be  seen  in  the  valleys.  A  short 
distance  farther  on,  we  came  to  a  small  stream  where 
we  watered  our  horses,  boiled  some  coffee,  and  had 
supper.  We  camped  for  the  night  under  a  big  spread- 
ing tree,  much  like  an  enormous  apple-tree,  but  with 
denser  foliage.  It  bore  an  immense  amount  of  fruit, 
similar  to  green  plums  in  appearance,  but  in  taste  like 
the  alligator  pears  I  saw  on  the  West  Coast.  Bats 
were  eating  the  fruit  during  most  of  the  night,  and 
seeds  occasionally  dropped  on  us. 


CUTTING  A  ROAD   THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS  95 

We  were  in  the  saddle  shortly  after  sunrise  the  next 
morning,  and  soon  arrived  at  the  edge  of  the  hills, 
where  a  wide  timbered  plain  spread  out  below  ns, 
covered  with  a  mopani  forest,  intersected  with  riv- 
ers, and  with  here  and  there  a  kopje.  Across  this 
plain  we  wended  our  way,  seeking  for  traces  of  a 
Matabele  army.  That  night  we  slept  in  a  mealie 
field,  near  a  small  water-hole.  After  dark  we  climbed 
a  solitary  stony  kopje,  where  we  obtained  a  good 
view  of  the  plain  in  all  directions.  We  spent  some 
time  there  scanning  the  country  for  camp-fires,  but 
as  none  could  be  seen  we  returned  to  our  hiding- 
place.  We  did  not  think  it  advisable  to  keep  a  fire 
burning,  and  therefore  suffered  not  a  little  from  the 
cold.  Our  horses  fared  badly  too,  for  the  grass  was 
poor.  They  were  becoming  so  thin  and  weak,  that  we 
had  decided,  in  case  there  was  important  information 
to  take  to  the  column,  to  leave  them  behind,  and  make 
our  way  on  foot.  The  next  day  we  directed  our  course 
toward  a  kopje  which  we  supposed  to  be  near  the  path 
of  the  column,  but  before  we  reached  it  our  progress 
was  obstructed  by  a  river  flowing  eastward,  which  we 
concluded  must  be  the  Tukwe.  As  this  stream  ran  con- 
tinuously over  beds  of  rock,  it  was  difficult  to  cross. 

Following  along  its  south  bank,  we  came  to  Makalaka 
villages.  One  was  particularly  striking  on  account  of 
its  picturesque  appearance  and  defensive  position.  It 
was  situated  on  an  isolated  hill,  the  sides  of  which  rose 
perpendicularly  from  the  bank  of  the  river.  Among 
the  huts  on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  a  few  large  shade- 
trees  were  growing.  We  went  to  the  bank  of  the 
stream  to  see  if  we  could  not  induce  the  natives  to  sell 
us  grain  for  our  horses,  and  to  learn  if  there  were 
Matabeles  about.  Crowds  of  people  appeared  on  the 
cliffs,  but  no  one  would  venture  down.    We  were  on 


96  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 

the  point  of  leaving,  when  a  young  man  with  a  gun 
came  running  up  behind  us  through  the  bushes.  By 
gesticulations  he  gave  us  to  understand  that  we  must 
leave  immediately.  Montague  said  we  had  better 
go  ;  otherwise  we  might  get  into  trouble.  At  this 
Juncture,  some  older  men  arrived  on  the  scene,  and 
although  they  seemed  to  know  of  the  presence  of  the 
column,  they  were  reticent  about  giving  information 
concerning  the  Matabeles.  From  their  actions  we 
were  positive  that  Matabeles  were  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, hence  we  set  about  in  search  of  traces,  and  found 
two  parallel  trails  freshly  made  by  two  columns  of 
savages  travelling  in  single  file.  We  followed  until 
the  tracks  disappeared  among  some  rocky  hills  with 
heavy  timber  in  the  valleys  between  them.  We 
deemed  it  imprudent  to  enter  this  fastness,  as  our 
horses  were  in  such  weak  condition ;  and,  as  it  was 
imperative  that  we  should  inform  the  column  at  once 
of  the  presence  of  a  Matabele  impi  (band  of  warriors), 
we  accordingly  continued  down  the  river,  passing 
other  kopjes  with  villages  on  them,  surrounded  by 
fields  of  grain  and  newly  prepared  grounds.  Late  in 
the  afternoon  we  came  to  fresh  horse  spoor,  and  there- 
fore knew  that  the  wagons  were  near  at  hand.  It  was 
dark,  however,  when  we  arrived  at  camp,  which  had 
just  been  made  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Tukwe  River. 

Knowledge  of  the  proximity  of  Matabeles  had  pre- 
ceded our  arrival,  and  there  had  been  a  big  scare  the 
night  before  in  anticipation  of  an  attack  on  the  laager. 
As  we  were  a  day  late  in  returning,  it  had  been  taken 
for  granted  that  we  had  been  killed.  Everyone  was 
surprised  to  see  us  back,  and  we  received  many  con- 
gratulations upon  being  alive !  It  was  the  Bamang- 
watos  who  had  caused  the  alarm.  They  had  been 
dismissed  the  day  before,  and  had  started  on  their 


CUTTING  A  ROAD  THROUGH  THE   WILDERNESS  97 

homeward  journey  to  Palapye.  At  about  dusk  fifty 
of  them  returned  to  camp  in  a  state  of  abject  terror, 
reporting  that  they  had  seen  2,000  Matabeles,  and  that 
the  laager  was  to  be  attacked  before  morning.  Mines 
were  laid  around  the  camp,  and  the  Pioneers  cut 
bushes  by  electric  light  to  put  among  the  bullocks. 
The  men  stood  to  arms  before  daylight,  without  re- 
veille. However,  there  was  no  attack,  and  in  the 
morning  it  was  discovered  that  the  wires  connecting 
the  mines  had  been  gnawed  oif  during  the  night  by 
rodents. 

Even  in  the  face  of  danger  the  sporting  proclivities 
of  the  Pioneers  were  manifested,  and  the  betting  had 
been  heavy  for  and  against  this  probable  attack.  Cap- 
tain Hoste  won  a  handsome  sum  of  money,  having  laid 
great  odds  against  it.  Had  he  lost,  his  debt  would  have 
been  enormous,  but  he  said  afterward  that  he  never 
would  have  been  obliged  to  meet  it,  because  the  camp 
was  situated  in  such  a  disadvantageous  place,  that  a 
few  thousand  savages  would  have  exterminated  the 
entire  party,  and  there  would  thus  have  been  no  call 
for  payment. 

The  next  day,  August  11th,  as  the  column  crossed 
the  Tukwe  Eiver,  fresh  rumors  came  in  that  the  Mata- 
beles were  near  us.  Three  hundred  had  been  seen  by 
a  Banyai  native,  and  the  place  where  they  had  camped 
was  found  by  two  of  our  scouts.  The  latter  followed 
on  their  trail,  and  discovered  that  they  were  moving 
parallel  to  us.  Such  were  the  reports.  The  next 
day  we  were  to  go  through  a  pass  some  six  miles  in 
length.  Once  through  that,  it  was  thought  that  im- 
mediate danger  would  be  over,  as  the  country  beyond 
was  said  to  be  an  open  plain  where  the  Matabeles 
would  be  afraid  to  attack  a  large  body  of  horsemen. 

Before  daylight  the  following  morning,  I  left  the 

7 


98 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


laager  in  company  with  Montague,  Cowie,  and  Bowen. 
We  went  back  across  the  Tukwe  drift  to  look  for  traces 
of  reported  Matabeles,  but  saw  none.  That  night  we 
camped  among  the  rocks  of  a  small  kopje  in  a  range 
of  hills  southwest  of  the  Tukwe.  The  information 
gained  from  the  Makalakas  was  that  a  small  band  of 
Matabeles  had  left  the  hills  and  had  gone  to  the  north- 
west, while  a  large  impi  had  taken  its  course  toward 
the  right  of  the  column. 

At  sunrise  our  party  divided.  Cowie  and  Bowen 
went  east  to  the  road,  and  were  to  follow  it  up  through 
the  pass,  while  Montague  and  I  took  our  course  to  the 
west  around  a  small  mountain,  intending  to  come  out 
on  the  plateau  to  the  north  of  the  pass  before  evening. 
The  country  was  much  rougher,  and  the  distance  far- 
ther than  we  had  anticipated.  On  the  way  we  met 
with  three  rivers  very  difficult  to  cross.  In  attempt- 
ing to  climb  the  steep  bank  of  one  of  them,  my  horse 
slipped  down  on  his  haunches,  and  threw  me  into  the 
water,  where  I  got  soaking  wet.  Doubtless  I  presented 
a  ludicrous  picture  as  I  went  sprawling  backward 
into  the  river,  with  arms  outstretched  and  rifle  flying 
through  the  air.  At  least  Montague's  fits  of  laughter 
led  me  to  think  so. 

We  crossed  three  more  of  these  ugly  streams  near 
the  foothills  at  the  base  of  the  mountain.  Along  their 
banks  the  grass  grew  so  rank  that  it  was  next  to  im- 
possible to  get  through  it.  Night  overtook  us  while 
we  were  still  in  the  gulches,  and  we  dismounted  and 
led  our  horses  on  in  the  thick  darkness,  through  gul- 
lies, and  over  steep  rocky  hill-sides,  until  we  came  sud- 
denly upon  a  fire  in  a  deep,  dark  ravine.  We  were 
within  forty  yards  of  the  blaze  when  we  first  saw  it. 
Instantly  the  fire  was  kicked  out.  We  halted  and 
prepared  to  fire.    Our  first  thought  was  of  Matabele 


CUTTING  A  KOAD  THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS  99 

scouts,  SO  we  remained  silent  for  some  time  awaiting 
developments,  though  we  had  much  difficulty  in  keep- 
ing our  horses  quiet.  Presently  I  removed  my  boots 
and  approached  nearer,  but  found  no  enemy.  Finally, 
concluding  that  the  camping  party  had  bolted  upon 
hearing  us,  we  went  boldly  forward  without  being 
molested.  A  short  distance  from  this  we  came  upon  a 
plateau,  and  made  our  way  toward  a  light  on  the 
prairie  to  the  northwest,  which  we  took  to  be  the  fires 
of  the  laager.  We  soon  discovered  that  it  was  only  a 
veld  fire,  so  we  turned  back  to  the  mountain  to  look 
for  the  mouth  of  the  gap,  ignorant  as  to  whether 
the  wagons  had  passed  through.  We  wandered  about 
until  ten  o'clock,  and  as  the  horses  had  had  little  to 
eat  during  the  day  and  were  very  weak,  we  decided 
to  camp  until  daylight. 

Montague  deemed  it  imprudent  to  build  a  fire  ; 
hence,  being  wet  to  the  skin,  I  soon  became  frightfully 
cold,  particularly  in  my  legs  and  feet.  Removing  my 
clothes,  I  wrapped  the  saddle-blanket  around  the  lower 
part  of  my  body,  and  put  on  a  tunic  which  had  been 
fastened  to  my  saddle.  After  eating  some  dry  bis- 
cuit I  fell  asleep,  but  awoke  in  a  couple  of  hours,  shak- 
ing and  actually  aching  with  cold.  It  did  not  seem 
possible  that  I  could  sleep  any  longer,  but  Montague 
came  over  and  lay  close  beside  me,  putting  part  of  his 
blanket  over  me,  although  he  was  cold  himself.  I 
grew  warmer  immediately,  and  slept  until  daylight. 

At  dawn  the  braying  of  a  donkey  disclosed  the  situ- 
ation of  the  camp,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  light,  we  started 
in  that  direction.  At  about  nine  o'clock  we  found 
the  laager  near  the  mouth  of  the  gorge  which  Mr.  Se- 
lous  had  named  Providential  Pass.  A  general  feeling 
of  relief  seemed  to  prevail,  for  had  the  barbarians  at- 
tacked the  column  while  in  the  gorge,  the  advantage 


100  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FKONTIER 

would  have  been  entirely  on  their  side,  and  the  affair 
might  easily  have  resulted  in  disaster.  It  was  now 
thought  that  the  Matabeles  had  let  slip  their  oppor- 
tunity, and  that  henceforth  little  was  to  be  feared  from 
them. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


CROSSING  THE  MASHONALAND  PLATEAU 

The  Column  Treks  to  the  Open  Plateau — Young  Cheetahs — 
An  Attempt  to  Secure  the  Mother  Cheetah — Game-Pits 
— Appearance  of  the  Veld — The  Approach  of  Spring — 
Chasing  Sable  Antelope — Fort  Charter — Former  Matabele 
Depredations  Between  the  Umfuli  and  Hanyani  Rivers 
— The  End  of  the  Journey  and  the  Founding  of  a  New 
Province. 

The  column  moved  to  the  open  plateau  on  August 
14th.  This  beautiful  country  seemed  excellently 
suited  for  farming  and  grazing,  and  the  prospectors 
with  our  expedition  were  of  the  opinion  that  it  was 
rich  in  mineral  deposits.  A  few  low  hills  lay  to  the 
east  and  to  the  southwest,  but  the  general  appearance 
was  that  of  the  undulating  prairies  of  Kansas  and 
Iowa,  with  here  and  there  a  few  trees.  The  altitude 
was  found  to  be  over  3,600  feet  above  sea-level.  In 
the  afternoon  C  troop  of  the  Police  under  Major  Wil- 
loughby  overtook  us,  bringing  the  mail  with  them. 
They  moved  to  a  rise  of  ground  not  far  from  our  laager, 
where  they  constructed  a  fort,  called  Fort  Victoria,  in 
which  the  troop  was  to  be  stationed. 

On  the  19th  the  column  again  moved  forward,  and 
Montague  and  I  scouted  westward,  where  we  saw  much 
game,  such  as  tsessebe,  brindled  gnu,  and  roan  ante- 
lope.   We  slept  that  night  near  a  water-hole  on  the 

101 


102  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


prairie,  with  jackals  and  hyenas  barking  and  howling 
on  three  sides  of  us.  The  days  were  clear  and  windy, 
and  the  sun  shone  warm,  but  the  nights  were  cool — 
almost  frosty. 

A  few  mornings  later  trooper  John  Walker  found, 
not  far  from  the  laager,  a  lair  of  four  young  cheetahs 
with  their  eyes  not  yet  open.  The  mother  had  been 
frightened  away  by  the  noise  of  the  wagons.  The  lair 
consisted  of  a  beaten-down  space  in  the  tall  grass  be- 
side an  ant-heap.  The  young  ones  were  strong  and 
active,  and  spat  viciously  when  handled,  thus  exhib- 
iting their  savage  nature.  Mr.  Surrage,  the  parson, 
took  a  photograph  of  them.  Having  been  led  by 
Walker  to  believe  that  if  I  would  interest  myself 
in  caring  for  the  little  cheetahs,  I  might  have  a 
pair  of  them  to  send  back  to  Washington,  I  spent  a 
good  share  of  the  day  in  preparing  a  box  for  them, 
feeding  them  condensed  milk,  and  finally  in  trying  to 
find  a  female  dog  with  pups,  in  order  to  get  her  to 
adopt  them ;  in  which  last  endeavor  I  failed.  But 
Walker  was  soon  overcome  by  avaricious  dreams  so 
common  to  men  who  catch  a  wild  animal  or  find  a 
"  curio."  His  expectations  finally  reached  £50  apiece 
for  his  four  cheetahs  (about  the  price  of  the  full-grown 
animals  delivered  in  New  York)  and  I  found  myself  a 
victim  of  misplaced  confidence. 

I  secured  permission  to  remain  behind  after  the 
column  left,  in  order  to  watch  for  the  return  of  the 
mother  cheetah.  As  the  rear-guard  went  out  of  sight, 
an  hour  before  sunset,  I  began  building  a  "skerm" 
(bush  pen)  of  boughs,  about  one  hundred  yards  from 
the  lair,  and  commanding  a  good  view  of  the  meadow. 
Within  my  own  lair  I  sat  patiently  waiting  for  the 
cheetah  to  return  to  hers,  until  the  red  disc  of  the  sun 
disappeared  from  the  hazy  atmosphere  on  the  western 


CROSSING   THE   MASHONALAND   PLATEAU  103 

horizon.  As  the  shades  of  night  gathered  about  me, 
I  began  to  fear  that  my  watch  would  be  in  vain. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  I  thought  of  leaving, 
and  was  paying  little  attention  to  objects  about  me, 
when  suddenly  I  perceived  Mother  Cheetah,  not  more 
than  thirty  yards  away,  walking  along  at  a  brisk  pace 
directly  toward  her  nest.  This  unexpected  close  prox- 
imity to  a  large  animal  of  the  cat  species,  wild  and 
alive,  I  will  admit,  made  me  somewhat  excited.  She 
was  taller  than  a  mastiff,  and  seemed  much  larger  in 
every  way — a  size  greater  than  I  had  expected.  I  was 
fairly  fascinated  by  the  beauty  of  the  spotted  animal, 
and  by  her  noiseless  and  graceful  movements.  Her 
head  was  extended  so  that  its  top  was  on  a  line  with 
her  neck  and  back,  which  was  almost  straight.  Her 
thick,  heavy  tail  curved  downward  and  backward, 
nearly  dragging  on  the  ground. 

Instantly  upon  seeing  her,  I  cocked  my  rifle  and, 
aiming  just  behind  her  shoulder,  tired.  The  next 
second  she  was  tumbling  about  on  the  ground,  kicking 
up  the  dust  and  sending  forth  savage,  guttural  growls. 
My  heart  leaped  with  inexpressible  joy  as  I  thought, 
''Old  girl,  you  are  done  for!"  In  my  mind  arose 
a  picture  of  myself,  swollen  with  pride,  carrying 
the  beautiful  skin  into  the  laager  that  night,  the  men 
crowding  about  to  see  it.  But,  at  the  next  moment, 
my  joy  turned  to  disappointment,  as  with  surprise 
and  chagrin  I  saw  her  rise,  stagger  a  few  steps,  and  then 
bound  off  as  though  nothing  ailed  her.  I  sent  a  bullet 
whizzing  after  her,  which  I  felt  sure  had  missed,  and 
then  another  one.  At  two  hundred  yards  distant,  she 
stood,  broadside  on  with  head  up,  looking  in  the 
direction  whence  the  shots  had  been  fired.  I  could 
get  but  an  imperfect  sight,  as  it  was  fast  growing 
dark.   My  bullet  ploughed  up  the  dust  about  her, 


104  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

and  off  she  bounded  again,  but  stopped  at  the  edge  of 
the  timber  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  vlei  (damp 
meadow),  fully  four  hundred  yards  away.  There  I 
could  dimly  make  out  her  form  as  she  stood  looking 
toward  me  for  a  moment  only,  and  then  I  could  see 
her  no  more. 

Wondering  where  I  had  hit  her,  and  if  I  should  be 
able  to  find  her  upon  returning  the  next  morning,  I 
trudged  on  some  six  or  seven  miles  over  a  sandy  road, 
through  strips  of  bush  and  low  trees,  across  belts  of 
meadows  covered  with  dead  yellow  grass,  and  among 
small  stony  kopjes  and  isolated  granite  rocks  as  large 
as  houses,  finally  reaching  the  laager  at  about  eight 
o'  clock. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Selous  sent  me  out  with  Mon- 
tague for  a  two  days'  scouting  trip  to  the  left  of  the 
column,  and  in  doing  so,  he  kindly  gave  me  permis- 
sion to  return  to  the  last  laagering-place,  to  look  for 
the  cheetah.  Arriving  there,  we  searched  about 
among  the  grass  and  bushes,  but  could  find  no  trace 
of  her,  neither  spoor  nor  blood.  Evidently  I  was  un- 
able to  conceal  my  disappointment,  for  Montague  re- 
marked. Never  mind,  old  chap  !  Don't  feel  so  bad 
about  it ;  it's  hunters'  luck.  This  is  your  first  ani- 
mal of  the  kind.  When  you  return  to  America,  you 
will  be  as  famous  a  hunter  as  the  best  of  them." 
These  were  consoling  words,  but  I  could  not  help  feel- 
ing deeply  mortified  all  day,  to  think  that  I  did  not, 
when  I  had  such  a  splendid  opportunity,  give  the 
animal  such  a  shot  that  she  could  not  get  away. 

We  then  rode  to  the  northwest,  crossing  many  small 
streams,  and  seeing  much  game  which  was  extremely 
wild.  That  afternoon  we  came  very  near  riding  our 
horses  into  some  game-pits.  They  were  dug  by  the 
natives,  who,  in  that  locality,  are  called  Mashonas. 


CEOSSING  THE   MASHONALAND  PLATEAU  105 


The  pits  were  about  ten  feet  long,  and  from  two  to 
three  feet  wide  at  the  top.  They  were  made  wedge- 
shaped,  and  had  sharp  pegs  sticking  up  from  the  bot- 
tom ;  hence,  the  more  an  antelope  might  struggle  to 
free  itself  from  the  pit,  the  more  hopeless  would  be- 
come its  chance  of  escape.  They  were  dug  on  paths 
over  which  game  was  accustomed  to  travel,  and  were 
concealed  by  a  covering  of  grass  which  made  them 
extremely  dangerous  to  horsemen,  especially  at  night. 
While  out  scouting  a  few  days  before,  Cowie  and  Grif- 
fiths came  near  losing  a  horse  which  had  stumbled  into 
one  of  these  death-traps.  They  were  fortunately  able 
to  induce  the  natives  from  a  neighboring  village  to  dig 
the  animal  out  with  their  hoes.  Montague  told  me 
of  a  man  in  the  Cape  Colony  who  rode  into  a  game- 
pit,  and  got  his  feet  wedged  so  firmly  between  the 
horse  and  the  side  of  the  pit,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
kill  the  horse  and  cut  him  open  before  he  could  extri- 
cate himself. 

We  travelled  over  some  miserable-looking  country 
covered  with  rocks,  and  with  here  and  there  large  sandy 
hillocks,  probably  ant-heaps,  but  at  last  came  again 
to  the  edge  of  the  prairies  of  Mashonaland.  Across  the 
open  country  we  made  our  way,  getting  on  higher 
and  higher  ground,  until  at  dark  we  reached  the  high- 
est part  of  the  divide,  between  the  rivers  flowing  to 
the  south  and  east,  and  those  flowing  to  the  west  and 
north.  Here  we  found  the  cart-tracks  made  by  the 
road  party.  Thinking  that  the  column  would  soon 
follow,  we  continued  on  the  spoor  of  the  cart,  made 
plainer  by  their  having  dragged  after  it  a  tree  of  con- 
siderable size. 

During  most  of  the  year  this  land  is  covered  with 
waving  grass,  green  in  summer,  and  yellow  or  grayish 
in  winter,  but  at  the  time  in  question  it  had  been 


106  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


burnt  over  for  miles.  Water  was  not  difficult  to  find, 
and  the  new  grass  was  sprouting  in  the  vleis,  so 
that  the  pasture  was  fair  ;  but  as  we  travelled  that 
evening  by  the  bright  moonlight,  the  black  ap- 
pearance of  the  burnt  veld  was  extremely  desolate. 
Many  portions,  especially  the  sloping  fiats,  were 
dotted  over  with  large  ant-heaps  on  which  the  grass 
grew  more  luxuriantly  than  elsewhere.  On  freshly 
burnt,  level  strips,  the  blackened  ant-heaps,  with  here 
and  there  a  grass-covered  one  that  had  escaped  the 
fire,  gave  to  the  country  a  most  weird  and  uncanny 
look. 

We  pushed  on  for  several  hours,  hoping  to  over- 
take the  road  party.  Montague  was  greatly  annoyed 
by  our  failure  to  find  the  troop,  as  his  horse  was  so 
weak  and  clumsy  that  many  times  he  almost  fell. 
The  sky  was  cloudless,  with  the  moon  directly  over- 
head ;  consequently,  we  could  see  the  track  for  most 
of  the  way  without  difficulty  ;  but  we  came  to  one 
broad  level  sandy  belt  in  which  the  short  grass  grew  in 
tufts,  some  distance  apart.  Here  we  were  obliged  to 
dismount  and  follow  on  foot.  At  last  we  reached  a 
place  where  the  tree  had  been  detached  from  the  cart, 
and  left  in  the  road.  There  the  track  seemed  to  end. 
While  debating  what  to  do  next  we  discovered  a  fire 
in  a  clump  of  trees  to  the  left,  and  on  advancing  to  it, 
we  found  B  troop  camped  near  water.  They  had 
travelled  sixteen  miles  from  the  last  outspan. 

On  August  26th  we  heard  that  Mr.  Selous  had  re- 
signed his  position  as  head  of  the  Intelligence  Depart- 
ment, and  that  Captain  Edward  Burnett  had  been  ap- 
pointed in  his  place.  The  same  day  Mr.  Selous,  Dr. 
Jameson,  and  Mr.  Colquhoun,  with  fifteen  men  from  A 
troop  of  the  Police,  left  with  four  wagons  to  visit  a 
chief  called  Umtasa,  residing  in  the  direction  of  the 


CROSSING  THE   MASHONALAND  PLATEAU  107 


coast.  They  took  with  them  forty  days'  rations,  but 
expected  to  be  at  Mount  Hampden  in  a  month. 

The  next  morning  Montague  and  I  resumed  our  scout- 
ing, and  took  our  course  to  the  southwest.  The  day 
was  pleasant  but  windy.  Spring  seemed  to  be  ap- 
proaching, for  most  of  the  trees,  having  shed  their  last 
year' s  foliage  a  few  weeks  before,  were  budding  out 
with  small  delicate  leaves,  some  pale  green,  others 
yellowish  green  ;  but  the  predominating  colors  were 
pink  and  reddish.  These  hues,  together  with  the  blue 
haze,  gave  to  the  landscape  the  appearance  of  the  fall 
of  the  year  in  the  temperate  zones.  The  dead  grass 
likewise  added  to  this  autumnal  aspect.  Now  and 
then  one  could  see  some  fresh  plant  in  blossom.  As 
there  had  been  no  rain,  this  opening  of  spring  was 
due  solely  to  the  increasing  warmth  of  the  weather. 
A  few  small  birds  were  twittering  among  the  branches 
of  the  trees,  but  there  was  no  such  budding  into  life 
and  rejoicing  of  nature  as  in  the  northern  zones  after  a 
rigorous  winter.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  it  seemed 
more  like  summer,  as  a  few  butterflies  and  other  in- 
sects could  be  seen  flitting  about.  Off  in  the  distance 
we  saw  some  large  birds,  which  we  took  to  be  corona 
cranes.  Later,  we  came  across  three  little  antelopes 
playfully  chasing  one  another  in  circles. 

From  the  small  mounds  of  dirt  thrown  up  in  great 
numbers,  I  observed  that  there  were  many  fl eld-rats 
and  gophers  on  the  prairies.  The  natives  of  Mashona- 
land  are  fond  of  eating  these  animals,  and  their  reason 
for  burning  the  veld  is  that  they  may  find  them  more 
easily.  I  had  seen  many  places  where  they  had  been 
digging  for  these  rodents  with  their  small  hoes.  This 
open  country  was  not  inhabited,  as  the  natives  did 
not  venture  to  dwell  away  from  the  hills. 

We  camped  in  a  grove  of  trees  much  like  the  wal- 


108  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIEK 

nut.  As  I  lay  that  night  looking  toward  the  clear 
sky,  with  the  wind  blowing  briskly  through  the  leaf- 
less branches,  I  could  almost  imagine  that  it  was  early 
winter  in  Montana.  This  was,  however,  the  only  time 
while  in  Mashonaland  that  I  was  reminded  in  the  least 
of  the  ]N"ortli  American  winter,  as  the  appearance  there 
is  so  totally  different.  We  returned  to  the  column 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  after  I  had  shot, 
with  my  Ballard  rifle,  a  corona  crane,  which  I  subse- 
quently skeletonized.  While  ahead  making  the  road, 
B  troop  had  killed  four  brindled  gnus,  two  of  which, 
a  cow  and  a  bull,  were  given  me  for  the  Museum. 
Major  Johnson  and  Lieutenant  Borrow  went  with  me 
to  the  place  where  they  had  been  shot  to  help  skin 
them,  and  among  us  we  finished  the  work  before  the 
column  arrived. 

On  August  20th  I  left  the  column  for  a  shooting 
trip  with  Major  Johnson  and  a  few  others.  A  trading 
wagon  accompanied  us,  under  charge  of  Van  Eck  and 
Fletcher.  The  next  morning  I  went  hunting  with 
Major  Johnson  and  Lieutenant  Borrow,  nine  miles 
from  the  wagon.  We  saw  many  herds  of  sable  and 
tsessebe  antelope.  I  was  mounted  on  an  old  "  salted" 
shooting  pony,  called  Chapman,  which  had  twice  been 
across  the  Zambesi  River  ;  and  I  soon  discovered  that 
he  knew  much  more  about  hunting  than  I  did.  At 
first  it  was  necessary  to  dig  the  spurs  into  him  contin- 
ually in  order  to  keep  up  with  the  other  members  of 
the  party,  who  were  mounted  upon  younger  and  more 
spirited  horses  ;  but  when  we  gave  chase  to  a  herd  of 
about  forty  sable  antelope,  there  was  a  complete 
transformation  in  the  spirit  of  my  old  nag. 

As  we  gained  a  rise  of  ground,  we  sighted  the  ani- 
mals a  few  hundred  yards  away.  Each  individual 
wheeled  and,  with  head  erect,  stood  facing  us  for  a 


CROSSING  THE   MASHONALAND  PLATEAU  109 

moment  only ;  then  the  entire  herd  turned  and  gal- 
loped away.  My  companions  gave  chase,  and  at 
tirst  gained  rapidly  on  the  troop,  but  they  were 
soon  left  far  behind  the  fleeing  antelope.  Old  Chap- 
man had  pricked  up  his  ears  and  had  cantered 
off  as  fast  as  his  old  legs  could  carry  him,  but, 
instead  of  following  the  game,  he  took  a  course 
at  right  angles  to  the  direction  in  which  they  were 
running.  This  seemed  outrageous,  and  I  pulled  on 
the  rein  with  all  my  strength,  trying  to  change  his 
course,  but  without  effect.  Presently  the  herd  turned, 
and  began  running  upwind.  The  sagacity  of  the 
horse  was  now  shown,  for  he  brought  me  within  good 
shooting  range,  so  that  I  was  able  to  bring  down  a 
fine  specimen.  Long  training  under  the  saddle,  with 
an  experienced  huntsman  as  master,  had  taught  him 
that  antelope  will  nearly  always  take  their  course  up- 
wind ;  and  the  old  fellow  knew  that  the  proper  thing 
to  do  was  to  head  them  off. 

The  village  at  which  the  men  were  trading  was 
strongly  fortified.  About  sixty  Matabeles  had  been 
there  three  days  before  our  arrival,  sent  by  Lo  Ben- 
gula  to  collect  tribute  in  sheep  and  cattle  from  the 
Mashonas.  Where  they  had  camped  a  double  skerm 
had  been  made.  The  centre  of  the  enclosure,  sur- 
rounded by  a  fence  of  bushes,  was  the  place  for  the 
cattle  and  sheep.  Outside  of  this  fence  was  another, 
and  between  the  two  fences  the  Matabeles  had  slept, 
with  their  feet  inward  toward  their  small  fires. 

For  two  days  Van  Eck  and  Fletcher  carried  on  a 
lively  trade  with  the  Mashonas.  The  latter  seemed  to 
know  nothing  of  the  use  of  money,  and  therefore 
would  not  accept  it ;  but  they  bartered  their  meal, 
grain,  and  other  products  for  small  beads,  two 
varieties  of  which  were  in  fashion  with  them,  name- 


110 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 


ly,  red  and  white.  They  also  accepted  calico  and 
salt. 

We  returned  to  the  laager  on  the  afternoon  of  Sep- 
tember 4th.  Near  it  a  fort  was  under  construction, 
which  was  christened  Fort  Charter,  and  in  which  A 
troop  of  the  Police  was  to  be  stationed. 

In  the  evening  the  column  moved  on  again.  As  it 
was  moonlight,  most  of  the  trekking  was  now  done  at 
night.  About  this  time  Walker  formally  turned  three 
of  his  cheetahs  over  to  me  to  rear  on  shares — as  they 
were  almost  dead  of  starvation.  One  had  died  al- 
ready, and  the  others  expired  at  convenient  stages,  so 
that  I  was  able  to  save  all  their  skins  for  my  collec- 
tion. Thus  ends  many  a  dream  of  wealth  which  has 
no  more  substantial  inspiration  than  a  captive  animal. 

We  crossed  the  Umfuli  Eiver  on  the  morning  of  Sep- 
tember 6th.  The  oxen  had  now  become  so  weak  that 
in  fording  rivers  where  the  beds  were  sandy  and  the 
banks  steep,  it  was  found  necessary  for  the  Pioneers 
to  help  them  through.  The  men  actually  placed  the 
yokes  on  their  own  necks  and  thus  pulled  as  though 
they  were  cattle.  Beyond  the  Umfuli  we  found  a 
great  change  in  the  appearance  of  the  country.  It  was 
heavily  timbered,  and  did  not  look  at  all  suitable  for 
farming  purposes.  Two  parties  of  engineers  were  sent 
out  to  survey  farms  for  the  Pioneers  between  this 
river  and  the  Hanyani ;  but  considerable  dissatisfac- 
tion was  manifested  in  regard  to  the  location,  as  the 
Pioneers  thought  that  they  ought  to  be  allowed  to 
stake  their  farms  wherever  they  might  choose. 

The  Masliona  chief  formerly  claiming  this  district, 
together  with  his  entire  tribe,  had  been  "  wiped  out" 
three  years  before  by  the  Matabeles.  Some  real  or 
imaginary  offence  had  been  committed  against  Lo 
Bengula,  so  he  sent  an  army  to  inflict  punishment 


CROSSING  THE   MASHONALAND  PLATEAU  m 

upon  the  offenders.  The  Mashonas  were  taken  by 
surprise,  and  the  entire  community  massacred,  with 
the  exception  of  the  girls,  who  were  carried  to  Mata- 
beleland  as  slaves.  Large  numbers  of  cattle,  sheep, 
and  goats  were  also  captured.  This  persecution  of 
the  Mashonas  on  the  part  of  the  Matabeles  had  been 
going  on  ever  since  the  latter  had  settled  on  the  border 
of  Mashonaland.  Every  few  years  it  was  deemed 
necessary  for  some  neighborhood  to  suffer  extermina- 
tion to  appease  the  Matabele  thirst  for  human  blood. 

On  the  morning  of  September  11th  we  entered  a 
magnificent  prairie  country  quite  destitute  of  native 
villages.  There  were  long  faces  among  the  Pioneers 
at  the  thought  of  receiving  farms  between  theUm- 
f uli  and  Hanyani  rivers,  where  the  land  seemed  to  be 
of  an  inferior  quality,  instead  of  having  them  located 
on  this  beautiful  rich  prairie.  Finally,  the  column 
outspanned  about  twelve  miles  from  Mount  Hampden. 
After  a  hasty  breakfast,  the  Pioneers  went  to  work  at 
building  a  permanent  fort ;  and  presently  we  realized 
that  we  had  reached  our  journey's  end.  More  than 
that,  it  was  not  merely  a  wilderness  fort  that  we  began 
to  erect,  but  the  capital  of  a  new  empire. 

On  the  following  day,  September  12,  1890,  we  held 
a  grand  parade,  and  in  the  name  of  the  Queen,  for- 
mally took  possession  of  all  the  unpossessed  land  in 
South  Central  Africa,  and  as  much  more  as  from  time 
to  time  it  should  be  found  desirable  to  add.  The  Brit- 
ish flag  was  hoisted  by  Lieutenant  Biscoe  of  the  Pio- 
neer Corps.  Canon  Balfour  offered  prayer,  tliree 
cheers  were  given  for  the  Queen,  a  salute  of  twenty- 
one  guns  was  fired  from  the  seven-pounders,  and  an- 
other jewel  was  added  to  the  British  crown. 

The  place  was  named  Fort  Salisbury,  in  honor  of 
England's  Premier.  The  situation  was  on  an  open 


112  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 

prairie,  near  a  small  river  called  the  Makabusi.  The 
altitude  was  found  to  be  4,600  feet  above  sea-level,  and 
the  latitude  17°  54'  South.  It  was  estimated  that  we 
were  1,100  miles  from  Kimberley,  and  1,700  from  Cape 
Town.  Four  hundred  miles  to  the  east  lay  the  Indian 
Ocean,  while  the  Zambesi  River  was  less  than  half  that 
distance  to  the  northward. 

I  know  not  what  others  of  the  Pioneers  may  have 
thought  or  felt  on  this  occasion,  but  I  must  confess 
that  on  my  mind  it  made  a  profound  impression. 
For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  felt  that  I  was  helping 
to  make  history,  that  I  had  witnessed  the  laying  of 
the  corner-stone  of  what,  by  virtue  of  the  natural 
resources  and  fertility  of  the  country,  would  one  day 
become  a  populous  and  valuable  colony.  The  vicis- 
situdes it  would  be  called  upon  to  undergo,  no  hu- 
man judgment  could  foresee,  but  in  the  hands  of  the 
world's  most  successful  colonial  architect,  its  final 
destiny  seemed  a  foregone  conclusion.  It  needed 
no  professional  prophet  to  predict  the  farms,  the 
mines,  the  towns  and  cities,  the  factories  and  the  rail- 
ways which  a  few  years'  time  would  be  almost  certain 
to  bring. 

There  is  a  fine  feeling  of  exhilaration  in  being  pres- 
ent at  the  founding  of  a  new  state,  and  in  five  minutes 
after  Fort  Salisbury  was  established,  I  had  made  up 
my  mind  to  stay  with  the  enterprise,  at  least  long 
enough  to  see  the  curtain  fall  at  the  end  of  the  first 
act. 


CHAPTER  IX 


BIG  GAME  AND  THE  RUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS 

Equipped  for  Hunting  Big  Game — Mount  Hampden  and  the 
Gwibi  Flats — "  The  Greatest  Show  on  Earth  " — Hunting 
Tsessebe  Antelope — Slater  Finds  Traces  of  Gold — Arsenic 
and  Alum  for  a  Wagon- Load  of  Pumpkins — We  Return 
in  Haste  to  the  Laager — The  Fort  Completed,  and  the 
Pioneers  Disbanded — The  British  South  Africa  Company 
Issues  Claim  Licenses — The  Pioneers  Rush  to  the  Gold- 
Fields — We  Set  Out  for  Hartley  Hills — Stalking  Waterbuck 
— Visited  by ''Laughing"  Hyenas — The  Hunter's  Paradise. 

The  remainder  of  the  month  of  September  was  spent 
by  the  Pioneers  in  fort  building.  The  members  of  B 
troop  of  the  Police,  who  were  to  be  stationed  at  Fort 
Salisbury,  were  at  once  put  to  work  at  constructing 
quarters  for  themselves  ;  but  a  more  interesting  detail 
fell  to  me.  A  few  days  after  arriving,  Captain  Hoste 
sent  me  out  to  shoot  game  for  his  troop,  equipping  me 
with  a  wagon,  span  of  oxen,  leader  and  driver,  some 
native  servants,  and  a  shooting  pony.  Two  young 
men  named  Frost  and  Langerman  accompanied  me ; 
and  I  presume  there  were  few  Pioneers  who  did  not 
envy  me  my  good  luck. 

This  was  my  first  experience  of  the  free,  fascinating 
life  of  the  voortrekkers,"  as  those  Boers  are  called 
who  travel  ahead  of  civilization  in  their  wagons,  and 

8  113 


114  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

live  by  hunting.  Believing  that  the  best  game  coun- 
try lay  to  the  west,  we  went  thither.  From  our  first 
camp,  we  could  see  the  top  of  what  seemed  to  be  a 
mountain,  about  ten  miles  distant,  looming  up  over 
a  rise  of  ground.  In  the  afternoon  I  rode  my  pony  in 
a  northeasterly  direction,  and  in  an  hour's  time  came 
in  full  view  of  what  proved  to  be  Mount  Hampden, 
which  had  been  the  objective  point  of  our  expedition. 
In  reality  it  is  only  a  large  timber-covered  hill,  stand- 
ing alone  on  the  prairie,  rising  several  hundred  feet 
above  the  adjacent  country,  and  forming  a  promi- 
nent landmark  for  miles  around.  Between  us  and 
the  mountain  lay  a  broad  plain  —  now  called  the 
Gwibi  Flats  —  through  which  flows  a  small  stream 
known  as  the  Gwibi  River.  The  open  prairie  was 
dotted  over  with  large  ant-heaps,  many  of  them  black 
and  bare,  while  others  were  covered  with  bunches  of 
tall  grass  which  had  escaped  the  veld  fires.  On  damp 
vleis  near  the  river  the  green  grass  was  sprouting, 
thus  forming  pastures  which  had  attracted  large  num- 
bers of  wild  animals. 

That  evening  I  beheld  on  those  flats  a  sight  which 
probably  will  never  again  be  seen  there  to  the  end  of 
the  world.  The  view  was  not  of  crowded  masses  of 
game,  such  as  were  found  in  the  early  days  on  our 
western  plains,  nor  was  there  a  vast  herd  of  any  single 
species.  But  the  variety  deploying  before  me  was  al- 
most incredible  !  There,  within  the  range  of  my  vision, 
were  groups  of  roan,  sable,  and  tsessebe  antelope,  Bur- 
chell's  zebras,  elands,  reedbucks,  steinbucks,  and  os- 
triches. It  was  like  Africa  in  the  days  of  Livingstone. 
As  I  sat  on  my  horse,  viewing  with  amazement  this 
wonderful  panorama  of  wild  life,  I  was  startled  by  a 
herd  that  came  galloping  around  a  small  hill  just  be- 
hind me.  It  proved  to  be  a  number  of  tsessebe  antelope 


BIG  GAME  AND  THE  RUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS  115 

with  five  BurchelFs  zebras  following  close  behind 
them.  I  was  so  completely  absorbed  in  the  contem- 
plation of  this  wonderful  scene,  and  in  feasting  my 
eyes  upon  the  beautiful  creatures  that  galloped  so 
near  me,  that  I  did  not  kill  one  of  them.  It  is  not  un- 
common for  two  varieties  of  game  to  mingle  together 
in  one  herd,  and  zebras  often  associate  with  more 
wary  animals,  for  by  that  means  they  secure  better 
protection.  Not  unfrequently  one  sees  a  solitary 
tsessebe  running  with  a  herd  of  zebras,  or  a  single 
sable  antelope  accompanying  a  herd  of  tsessebes.  As 
it  was  now  sunset,  I  took  one  more  long  look  at  the 
game,  and  reluctantly  returned  to  the  wagon,  arriving 
there  after  dark.  I  felt  that  I  had  seen  "  the  greatest 
show  on  earth." 

The  next  morning  before  daylight  we  inspanned, 
trekked  to  the  Gwibi  River,  and  camped  near  a  few 
small  willow-trees  which  we  found  on  its  bank.  While 
we  were  eating  breakfast  a  herd  of  tsessebes  came  near 
us,  but  they  did  not  notice  our  camp,  as  it  was  con- 
cealed behind  the  bushes.  Seizing  my  rifle,  I  aimed  at 
the  one  nearest  me  as  they  passed  by,  and  fired.  It 
dropped  to  the  shot,  and  lay  behind  an  ant-heap  bel- 
lowing lustily.  I  ran  toward  it,  but  to  my  amazement 
it  jumped  up  and  scampered  away  crippled,  and  soon 
overtook  the  herd.  Apparently  it  was  able  to  travel 
on  three  legs  as  rapidly  as  its  mates  could  on  four. 
The  boys  having  thoughtfully  saddled  my  pony  for 
me,  I  mounted  and  gave  chase,  soon  overhauled  my 
antelope,  and  gave  it  another  shot,  which  ended  its 
life. 

After  skinning  the  tsessebe,  I  set  out  on  foot  to  see 
how  I  should  fare  by  that  method  of  hunting.  It  was 
a  difficult  task  to  kill  game  on  those  open  flats.  The 
tsessebes  proved  to  be  the  most  wary  of  antelope. 


116  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIEK 


While  a  herd  of  females  with  their  young  were  grazing 
on  a  meadow,  I  observed  that  the  males  stood  as  sen- 
tries on  neighboring  ant-heaps  ;  and  it  was  extremely 
difficult  to  elude  their  keen  sight.  Several  times  I  got 
an  ant-heap  between  me  and  a  sentry,  and  thus  crept 
cautiously  up,  flattering  myself  that  I  was  doing  ad- 
mirably, when,  to  my  astonishment  and  chagrin,  I  saw 
the  herd  go  galloping  away.  In  these  cases  I  discov- 
ered that  a  sentry  stationed  far  away  on  the  other 
side  of  the  troop  had  caught  sight  of  me,  and  had 
given  the  alarm.  Some  of  the  herds  had  three  sentries 
on  duty,  thus  making  it  impossible  for  me  to  approach 
without  being  noticed. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  I  came  to  a  place  where  there 
were  many  ant-heaps  covered  with  tall  grass,  and  I 
rejoiced  to  find  that  at  last  I  could  outwit  my  game. 
I  made  a  beautiful  stalk,  but  just  as  I  was  about  to 
fire,  the  entire  herd,  sentries  and  all,  suddenly  stam- 
peded. I  was  dumfounded,  and  quite  unable  to  di- 
vine the  cause,  until  happening  to  turn  around,  I  was 
startled  by  perceiving  an  armed  savage  not  ten  steps 
behind  me.  He  wore  ostrich  feathers  on  his  head, 
carried  spears  in  his  hands,  and  grinned  at  me  as 
good-naturedly  as  if  we  had  always  been  friends.  Cu- 
riosity had  induced  him  to  watch  quite  closely  the 
white  man's  method  of  hunting,  and  evidently  it  had 
not  occurred  to  him  to  keep  under  cover  for  my  bene- 
fit. In  his  primitive  simplicity  he  had  followed  bolt  up- 
right and  close  behind  me,  while  I  had  laboriously  crept 
along  the  ground,  endeavoring  to  conceal  myself  from 
the  game.  Provoked  by  small  occurrences  like  this, 
race  antipathies  often  begin  on  short  notice  between 
the  whites  and  the  aboriginal  inhabitants. 

As  the  herd  galloped  olf  over  a  rise  about  six  hun- 
dred yards  distant,  in  sheer  desperation  I  fired  a  shot 


BIG  GAME  AND  THE  RUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS  117 


at  the  leading  antelope.  Almost  instantly  with  the 
pulling  of  the  trigger,  a  tsessebe,  full  twenty  feet  be- 
hind the  one  at  which  I  fired,  bounded  straight  into  the 
air,  and  fell.  Pacing  off  the  distance,  I  found  it  to  be 
seven  hundred  yards  instead  of  six,  as  I  had  judged. 
The  animal  was  stone  dead,  with  a  bullet  through  its 
body  just  behind  the  shoulder.  This  might  be  cited 
as  the  result  of  good  marksmanship,  but  inasmuch 
as  there  were  at  least  two  antelopes  between  the  one 
killed  and  the  one  aimed  at,  I  am  compelled  to  waive 
the  claim.  As  it  was  now  sundown,  I  returned  to  the 
wagon.  Frost  came  in  that  evening  from  chasing 
koodoo  antelope,  with  his  horse  completely  exhausted. 
Langerman  had  wounded  a  lioness,  but  did  not  get 
her. 

The  following  day  Frost  returned  to  the  laager  with 
the  meat  of  my  two  tsessebes,  and  Mr.  Edward  Slater 
was  sent  in  his  place  to  assist  me  in  hunting.  I  made  a 
trip  several  miles  from  the  camp  toward  the  source  of 
the  Gwibi  River,  and  before  night  succeeded  in  killing 
three  roan  antelopes.  On  going  to  them  the  next  morn- 
ing we  found  that  two  had  disappeared,  having  been 
stolen  during  the  night  by  the  Mashonas.  Everything 
had  been  taken,  including  skin  and  bones. 

We  then  moved  our  camp  eastward  to  the  edge  of 
the  plateau,  and  although  we  did  not  find  game 
there,  we  were  amply  repaid  for  our  journe}^  by  the 
prospect  that  was  spread  before  us.  Stretching  for 
many  miles  toward  the  Zambesi,  could  be  seen  broken 
mountainous  country.  As  we  were  descending  Mount 
Hampden,  which  we  had  climbed  for  a  view  of  the 
beautiful  landscape  which  lay  about  it,  we  killed  a 
splendid  sable  antelope  and  a  little  duiker.  The 
next  morning  before  breakfast  Slater  went  to  the  river 
with  the  lid  of  a  tin  pail,  and  found  grains  of  gold 


118  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIEE 


in  the  sand.  Immediately,  he  decided  to  locate  his 
farm  there.  In  one  respect,  Mashonaland  is  like  Alaska 
— traces  of  gold  can  be  found  in  nearly  every  stream. 

During  the  day  Slater  and  I  went  toward  some  hills 
to  the  southwest,  among  which  a  chief  called  Menyam- 
wada  resided.  We  saw  considerable  game,  but  found 
it  extremely  wild  and  difficult  to  approach,  because 
our  horses  were  too  weak  to  do  much  running.  Never- 
theless, I  succeeded  in  bringing  down  a  fine  sable  ante- 
lope, and  proceeded  to  take  measurements  and  to  skin 
the  animal,  while  Slater  gave  chase  to  its  mate.  It 
was  a  grand  sight  to  see  the  fleet-footed  and  graceful 
beast  skim  across  the  prairie. 

Upon  returning  to  camp  that  evening,  we  found  that 
John,  the  driver,  had  purchased  a  load  of  pumpkins, 
which  the  native  men  and  women  from  the  Mazoe  val- 
ley had  brought  to  the  wagon  to  barter.  At  first  I 
was  pleased,  but  when  I  found  that  John  had  traded 
away  about  twenty  pounds  of  preservative,  consist- 
ing of  alum  and  arsenic,  which  he  had  mistaken  for 
salt,  I  was  filled  with  dismay  !  We  knew  not  the  vil- 
lages whence  the  natives  had  come,  nor  could  we  ex- 
plain the  mistake,  as  we  were  ignorant  of  their  lan- 
guage ;  and  before  my  scared  mental  vision  rose  piles 
of  dead  Mashonas,  pestilence,  and  war  on  the  whites 
— provided  there  remained  enough  live  Mashonas  to 
make  it.  My  only  hope  of  salvation  lay  in  the  possi- 
bility that  the  astringency  of  the  alum  would  so  spoil 
everything  with  which  it  came  in  contact,  that  the 
people  would  be  saved.  Had  any  of  us  spoken  the 
language  of  the  natives,  we  would  have  tried  to  hunt 
up  the  pumpkin-sellers,  although  even  then  it  is  very 
doubtful  whether  we  could  have  found  them  in  time 
to  prevent  a  catastrophe.  Hence  it  was  that  before 
daylight  the  next  morning  we  left  for  the  fort.  We 


BIG  GAME  AND  THE  RUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS  119 

made  no  mention  of  tlie  matter  to  anyone,  but  a  year 
later,  when  visiting  the  Mazoe  valley,  I  inquired  of  the 
natives  if  there  had  been  any  disease  among  them 
about  the  time  when  the  white  men  arrived  in  the 
country.  They  said  there  had  been  an  epidemic  of 
stomach-aches,  but,  fortunately,  no  one  had  died  from 
it ;  so  my  conscience  was  profoundly  relieved. 

When  at  the  end  of  September  we  returned  to  the 
laager,  we  found  that  the  fort  had  been  completed,  and 
that  two  rows  of  houses  built  of  poles  and  mud,  with 
thatched  roofs,  had  also  been  constructed  as  quarters 
for  the  Police.  West  of  the  fort,  near  a  large  hill 
called  the  Kopje,  some  buildings,  constituting  what 
was  designated  the  Ranch,  had  been  erected  by  Messrs. 
Johnson,  Heany,  and  Borrow. 

On  October  1st  the  Pioneers  were  disbanded.  At 
that  time  only  three  gold-fields  were  known.  They 
were  those  of  the  Mazoe  valley,  the  Northern,  near  Lo 
Magondi's,  and  the  Umfuli,  or  Hartley,  gold-fields. 
The  last  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  richest,  and 
to  them  the  majority  of  Pioneers  were  anxious  to  go. 

The  Chartered  Company  (British  South  Africa  Com- 
pany), or  "  Government,"  as  it  is  usually  designated  in 
Mashonaland,  now  issued  licenses  to  those  who  wished 
to  prospect — one  shilling  being  the  payment  required. 
This  entitled  the  prospector  to  peg  a  block  of  ten  claims, 
or,  if  he  were  a  Pioneer,  the  right  was  extended  to  fifteen. 
Each  claim  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length  by 
four  hundred  broad.  Thus,  a  block  of  ten  covered  an 
area  of  fifteen  hundred  feet  by  four  hundred,  equivalent, 
I  believe,  to  one  claim  in  American  mining  districts. 
Doubtless,  the  idea  of  division  into  many  claims  arose 
from  the  demand  in  London  that  mining  enterprises 
should  be  on  a  big  scale.  Ten  claims  would  not  sound 
large,  but  ten  blocks  of  claims,  making  one  hundred 


120  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 

altogether,  would  appear  much  more  imposing — on 
paper.  Each  prospector's  license  stipulated  that  the 
holder  agreed,  if  called  upon,  to  bear  arms  in  defence 
of  the  Chartered  Territories.  Licenses  were  negotia- 
ble, and  a  Pioneer's  right  to  fifteen  claims,  at  the  time 
of  our  arrival  in  Mashonaland,  was  valued  at  one  hun- 
dred pounds  sterling.  In  consideration  of  supplying 
the  means  for  opening  and  governing  the  country,  the 
British  South  Africa  Company  required  as  its  right  fif- 
ty per  cent,  of  the  shares  in  stock  companies  formed  on 
mines  discovered.  At  the  outset  it  was  generally  un- 
derstood that  the  Company  would  take  in  hand  the 
floating  of  these  minor  combines,  but  this  has  never 
been  done.  Practically,  it  was  impossible  It  still, 
however,  claims  the  fifty  per  cent.,  or,  at  least,  a  per 
cent,  large  enough  to  constitute  a  controlling  interest 
in  any  new  mining  corporation ,  hence  has  arisen  much 
dissatisfaction,  not  only  on  the  part  of  the  prospectors, 
but  among  speculators  as  well. 

Messrs.  Johnson,  Heany,  and  Borrow  lent  their 
wagons  and  oxen  to  the  Pioneers,  who  were  to  go  out 
on  prospecting  trips  in  parties  of  five  or  six  to  each 
wagon.  As  there  had  been  so  much  discontent  among 
the  members  of  the  expedition  in  regard  to  locating 
farms  between  the  Umfuli  and  Hanyani  rivers,  the 
privilege  was  accorded  of  pegging  wherever  they  chose, 
but  only  in  blocks  of  six.  Moreover,  it  was  distinctly 
stipulated  that  no  land  was  to  be  taken  which  was 
used  by  the  natives  for  their  villages  and  gardens. 
At  that  time  occupation  was  required.  Pioneer  farm 
rights  were  negotiable,  the  same  as  miner's  licenses, 
and  were  valued  at  £100  each.  Those  who  had  come 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  following  agricultural  pursuits, 
went  in  search  of  lands  suitable  for  farms.  A  large 
majority  of  the  men,  however,  were  seized  with  the 


BIG  GAME  AND  THE  RUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS  121 

gold  fever,  and  on  the  next  day  after  disbandment, 
they  hastened  off  on  horseback,  in  wagons,  or  with 
donkeys  and  pack  oxen,  to  the  Mazoe,  to  the  Northern 
gold-fields,  and  to  Hartley  Hills,  in  a  mad  rush  to 
stake  out  their  fortunes  in  gold  properties. 

Major  Johnson  offered  me  the  use  of  a  wagon,  a 
span  of  oxen,  and  a  horse  for  the  purpose  of  going 
out  collect  specimens  for  the  Museum.  He  also 
supplied  me  with  a  driver  and  a  leader.  In  exchange 
for  the  use  of  these,  he  stipulated  that  I  should  take 
a  load  of  provisions  to  Hartley  Hills  to  the  prospec- 
tors whom  Messrs.  Johnson,  Heany,  and  Borrow  had 
sent  there  to  develop  the  mines  which  they  had  lo- 
cated, and  also  that  I  should  supply  the  prospectors 
with  game.  My  wagon  was  the  second  to  go  to  Hart- 
ley, and  I  followed  on  the  trail  of  the  one  which  had 
gone  ahead.  With  me  travelled  several  Pioneers  and 
also  Mr.  Surrage,  the  parson,  who  was  going  to  Hart- 
ley Hills  to  look  after  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
community. 

I  found  good  hunting  along  the  way,  and  killed 
several  reedbucks,  some  wild  pigs,  and  tsessebes.  One 
morning  while  absent  from  the  wagon,  I  heard  a 
fusillade  which  sounded  like  a  battle.  Upon  re- 
turning, I  found  that  a  large  black  rhinoceros  had 
been  killed.  Scarcely  had  my  party  outspanned,  when 
two  of  these  animals  came  rushing  down  from  the 
bushes  toward  the  cattle.  The  men  seized  their  rifles, 
and  began  firing  at  the  rhinoceroses  as  they  ran 
b}^  within  a  hundred  yards.  The  pair  consisted  of  a 
bull  and  a  cow,  the  latter  being  much  the  larger. 
When  opposite  the  wagon,  the  cow  dropped  dead, 
but  the  bull  escaped  unscathed.  It  was  discovered 
upon  examination,  that,  with  all  the  flaring,  but  one 
bullet  had  taken  effect.    No  single  person,  therefore, 


122 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIEK 


could  lay  claim  to  the  trophy,  for  no  one  knew  whose 
shot  had  been  the  fatal  one,  hence  it  was  unani- 
mously voted  that  the  skin  and  skeleton  should  be 
presented  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 

After  breakfast  the  entire  party  generously  set  to 
work  to  help  me  skin  and  skeletonize  the  enormous 
beast.  Among  the  Pioneers  who  lent  a  hand  were 
Messrs.  Surrage,  Spreckley,  King,  Kermode,  Stan- 
ford, and  Butcher.  Each  man  chose  from  my  ar- 
ray of  knives  a  blade  suited  to  his  fancy.  The 
skinning  proceeded,  accompanied  by  much  good- 
natured  raillery  over  the  possibility  of  subsequently 
seeing  the  skin  and  skeleton  among  the  Smithsonian 
collections  at  the  World's  Fair,  mth  a  thrilling  de- 
scription of  how  ' '  William  Harvey  '  Curio '  Brown  en- 
countered and  slayed  this  gigantic  Rliinoceros  Mcornis 
in  the  jungles  of  Equatorial  Africa  !  "  The  skin  was 
removed  in  three  pieces,  the  head  and  neck  forming 
one  division,  and  the  sides,  separated  along  the  back 
and  belly,  forming  the  other  two.  We  found  the 
meat  of  excellent  flavor,  and  we  cut  it  in  strips  to  be 
dried  by  the  wind  into  what  the  South  African  Dutch 
call  "biltong." 

We  trekked  forward  that  afternoon,  and  a  day  later 
arrived  at  Hartley  Hills.  Great  excitement  prevailed 
there.  We  found  the  ground  pegged  off  in  all  direc- 
tions. The  indications  of  gold  consisted  of  great 
numbers  of  "old  workings"— pits  dug  by  the  an- 
cients, the  Portuguese,  or  whatever  people  worked 
those  mines  in  earlier  times.  Scarcely  had  I  arrived 
when  Pioneers  came  to  me,  almost  breathless,  with 
the  query:  "Have  you  pegged  yet?  You  had  bet- 
ter look  sharp  and  peg  3^our  ground,  or  you  will 
lose  your  chance  for  a  fortune."  As  I  was  carried 
away  with  enthusiasm  for  collecting  specimens,  the 


BIG  GAME  AND  THE  EUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS  123 


gold  excitement  did  not  at  tlie  start  affect  me  in  the 
least,  and  to  the  surprise  of  the  goldbugs  I  proceeded 
with  my  favorite  work. 

I  soon  met  three  good-natured  natives,  whom  I  en- 
gaged to  work  for  me.  Being  unable  to  understand 
their  curious  names,  I  christened  them  according  to 
my  own  fancy  with  appellations  more  familiar,  which 
were,  respectively,  George  Washington,  Henry  Clay, 
and  Abe  Lincoln.  The  day  after  arriving  I  went  hunt- 
ing to  the  south  of  the  Umfuli  Hiver,  where  game  was 
said  to  be  plentiful.  On  the  route  I  came  across  a 
mining-camp  where  three  Americans,  Messrs.  Rogers, 
Kaiser,  and  Bressen,  were  developing  some  ground  be- 
longing to  the  Bechuanaland  Exploration  Company. 
These  men  were  enthusiastic  over  the  gold  they  were 
finding,  and  showed  me  some  excellent  specimens  of 
quartz. 

Going  far  bej^ond  the  mining-camp  into  the  brush 
lands,  I  presently  sighted  a  herd  of  waterbuck,  but 
found  some  difficulty  in  stalking  them,  because  thej^ 
had  been  disturbed  during  the  past  few  days  by  nu- 
merous prospectors,  who  had  been  rushing  madly 
over  the  country,  pegging  claims.  After  considerable 
tramping  about  I  followed  the  antelope  into  an  open 
meadow.  Having  read  of  savages  stalking  game  by 
creeping  along  the  ground  and  carrying  a  bush  cov- 
ered with  leaves  in  front  of  them,  I  decided  to  put  the 
suggestion  into  practice.  It  succeeded  admirably,  and 
I  was  able  to  get  fully  a  hundred  yards  nearer  by  this 
means  than  would  otherwise  have  been  possible. 

Choosing  a  fine  buck  with  large  horns,  I  drew  a 
bead  on  his  shoulder,  and  fired.  He  was  two  hun- 
dred yards  distant,  but  my  bullet  struck  within  six 
inches  of  the  spot  at  which  I  had  aimed.  Staggering 
for  a  few  steps,  the  animal  fell  to  the  ground,  lifeless. 


124 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


The  three  natives  then  helped  me  at  the  skinning. 
While  we  were  at  work  scores  of  vultures  came  soar- 
ing toward  us  and  lighted  on  the  trees  near  at  hand. 
Scarcely  had  we  finished  our  task  and  proceeded  fif- 
ty yards  from  the  place  where  we  had  left  the  viscera 
of  the  antelope,  when  a  great  flock  of  those  un- 
canny birds  flew  greedily  from  the  trees  upon  the  re- 
mains, flapping  their  wings,  crowding  one  another,  and 
screeching  with  excitement  and  eagerness. 

B}^  the  middle  of  the  next  day  the  skin  of  the  antelope 
was  preserved  and  dried,  and  the  rhinoceros  was  also 
almost  cured.  I  had  saved  the  entire  skeleton  of  the 
latter  as  well  as  its  skin.  In  a  few  days'  time,  how- 
ever, a  hue  and  cry  was  raised  by  some  sensitive  as- 
sociates who  were  camping  near  my  wagon,  against 
the  odor  emanating  from  the  rhinoceros  bones.  In 
fact,  so  much  fuss  was  made  about  it,  that  I  was 
obliged  to  remove  them  a  hundred  yards  from  the 
camp,  where  I  placed  them  in  a  strong  skerm  made 
of  thorn  bushes.  It  seemed  to  me  that  no  wild  animal 
could  possibly  break  into  the  enclosure  ;  but,  unfortu- 
nately, my  judgment  was  in  error.  That  night  our 
camp  was  visited  by  a  troop  of  spotted  hyenas,  or 
"  laughing"  hyenas,  as  the}^  are  called,  which  have  a 
most  wonderful  power  of  scenting  carrion  miles  away. 
During  the  first  part  of  the  night  the}^  entertained  us 
with  a  rare  amount  of  j^elling,  but  after  midnight  we 
heard  them  laughing  like  spotted  demons  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  rhinoceros  skeleton.  As  daj^light  ap- 
proached they  retired,  and  we  could  hear  their  hideous 
yelling  growing  fainter  and  fainter  in  the  distance. 
At  last  the  sound  died  away  into  occasional  bursts  of 
laughter,  as  though  they  were  rejoicing  over  the  best 
feast  they  had  had  for  months. 

As  soon  as  it  grew  light  enough  to  see  I  hastened 


BIG  GAME  AND  THE  EUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS  125 

to  the  skeleton,  and,  to  my  dismay,  found  it  a  total 
wreck.  Chewed  fragments  of  bones  lay  scattered 
about  in  every  direction  for  a  hundred  yards  or  more. 
The  only  thing  left  for  me  was — vengeance,  which  I 
resolved  to  secure  by  leaving  poisoned  meat  for  the 
brutes  on  the  following  night.  I  prepared  the  bait 
and  put  it  out.  They  returned  for  it,  and,  if  possible, 
were  far  more  noisy  than  before.  It  seemed  to  me,  as 
I  lay  and  listened  to  them,  that  their  derisive,  demoni- 
acal laughter  was  more  contemptuous  than  ever.  As 
daylight  approached  they  slunk  away  to  their  hiding- 
places.  Upon  examination  I  found  that  every  scrap 
of  the  meat  had  been  eaten,  but  not  a  dead  hyena  could 
we  discover. 

The  Pioneers  and  prospectors  talked  to  me  so  much 
about  losing  the  opportunity  of  a  lifetime  that,  finally, 
I  began  to  get  the  gold-fever  myself,  and  to  build  castles 
in  the  air  for  the  disposition  of  the  millions  I  should 
probably  make.  A  man  named  Sheppard  came  to  me 
one  morning  and  said,  very  confidentially,  "Look  at 
here,  'Curio,'  ole  chap,  I  have  already  pegged  my  fifteen 
claims,  so  I  may  as  well  give  a  friend  the  tip  concernin' 
a  good  opportunity.  Just  come  along  with  me,  and 
ril  put  you  on  to  a  fine  mine."  He  took  me  to  a  big 
heap  of  barren-looking  quartz  about  a  hundred  yards 
away.  "  This,"  he  said,  "  was  pegged  by  Jack  Mahon  ; 
but  he's  a  bally  ole  tenderfoot,  and  doesn't  know 
nothin'  about  gold  minin',  and  so,  like  a  fool,  he's 
abandoned  it.  You'd  better  make  haste,  and  peg  it 
quick  before  somebody  else  comes  along."  I  located 
the  ground,  got  a  pick  and  shovel,  pan  and  hammer, 
and  began  work.  All  day  long  1  dug,  crushed  quartz, 
and  panned,  but  not  a  sign  of  gold  did  I  obtain.  That 
evening  I  complained  to  Sheppard  of  finding  nothing. 
*'0h,  that's  nothin',  ole  chap,''  he  answered,  with  a 


126  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

cheerful  grin.  * '  You  mustn't  get  discouraged  so  early. 
You  may  not  find  anything  on  the  surface,  but  there's 
always  a  chance,  if  you  go  deep  enough,  that  you'll 
strike  it  rich."  I  concluded  that  Sheppard  was  play- 
ing a  practical  joke  on  me,  and  had  set  me  to  work 
on  a  barren  reef ;  hence  my  attack  of  gold-fever  im- 
mediately subsided,  and  my  attention  was  once  more 
turned  to  my  legitimate  pursuits. 

On  October  10th  I  set  out  with  my  wagon  for  a 
place  six  miles  south  of  the  Umfuli  River,  where  the 
natives  told  me  there  was  any  amount  ot  game  to  be 
found.  Before  reaching  the  river  we  scared  up  two 
impala  antelopes,  one  of  which  I  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing down  with  my  rifle.  It  was  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  graceful  specimens  of  the  South  African  fauna, 
reddish  in  color,  w^itli  delicate,  lyre-shaped  horns. 
In  height  it  was  about  that  of  a  mule  deer,  but  far 
more  slenderly  built.  The  impala  inhabit  bush  coun- 
try, and  they  usually  congregate  in  herds.  When 
running  they  have  a  habit  of  bounding  high  in  the 
air  like  the  springbuck  of  the  Cape  Colony. 

As  we  arrived  at  the  stream  the  boys  pointed  to  a 
herd  of  koodoos,  travelling  leisurely  along  the  op- 
posite bank,  several  hundred  yards  farther  up  the  riv- 
er. I  followed  them,  and  killed  one,  a  fine  bull  with 
splendid  horns  nearly  five  feet  in  length  measured 
along  the  spiral  curve.  He  was  a  magnificent  animal, 
five  feet  in  height  at  the  withers,  grayish  in  color, 
with  graceful  white  stripes  down  his  sides.  I  was 
filled  with  joy  at  being  able  to  obtain  so  exquisite 
a  specimen  with  such  long,  symmetrical,  and  beauti- 
fully twisted  horns. 

We  crossed  the  river  at  a  ford  formerly  used  by  Mr. 
Selous  and  other  elephant  hunters,  and  just  before 
sundown  reached  the  edge  of  a  long  vlei,  where  we  out- 


BIG  GAME  AND  THE  KUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS  127 

spanned.  Taking  one  of  the  natives  with  me,  I  left  the 
wagon  for  a  short  hunt,  and  before  we  had  proceeded 
five  hundred  yards,  four  reedbucks,  antelope  about 
the  size  of  Virginia  deer,  jumped  from  almost  under 
our  feet  out  of  a  patch  of  tall  grass.  They  ran  about 
a  hundred  yards,  then  stopped  and  turned  to  look  at 
us,  and  while  they  were  satisfying  their  curiosity  I 
brought  down  a  doe.  In  the  thick  bushes,  not  far 
distant,  we  fell  in  with  a  herd  of  tsessebes,  but  they 
were  too  quick  for  me,  and  I  failed  to  get  a  shot  at 
them.  Presently  we  made  our  way  back  to  the  vlei, 
at  a  point  half  a  mile  below  the  wagon.  The  place 
seemed  alive  with  wild  animals,  but  it  was  now  be- 
tween sundown  and  dusk,  and  quite  too  late  to  pursue 
any  of  them.  In  the  edge  of  the  bushes  on  the  opposite 
side  there  was  a  group  of  sable  antelopes  ;  beyond  these 
were  some  tsessebes  ;  and  across  a  wide  part  of  the 
vlei,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  a  troop  of  large 
animals,  which  I  took  to  be  elands,  went  filing  along. 
Behind  them  came  a  bunch  of  zebras — the  most  showy 
animals  of  this  district.  The  game  had  evidently 
flocked  into  this  place  after  having  been  driven  by 
the  prospectors  from  the  parts  it  had  formerly  fre- 
quented. 

As  I  gazed  at  this  great  gathering  of  wild  beasts  I 
was  thrilled  with  a  sensation  of  keen  pleasure  ;  for  I 
felt  that  at  last  I  had  really  reached  a  hunters'  para- 
dise. On  the  way  back  to  the  wagon  we  saw  several 
more  reedbucks.  The  one  that  I  had  killed  near 
camp  had  been  carried  over  and  skinned  by  the  na- 
tives, and  we  had  fresh  antelope  liver  for  supper. 
Whenever  I  went  out  with  my  rifle  I  saw  several 
varieties  of  antelope,  and  from  not  a  single  hunt  did 
I  return  empty-handed.  In  fact,  fresh  trophies  ac- 
cumulated so  rapidly  that  it  was  actually  impossible 


128  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 

to  preserve  them  all.  Finally,  a  drizzling  rain  set  in, 
which  continued  off  and  on  for  nearly  a  week.  This 
made  it  difficult  to  cure  skins,  and  in  consequence  the 
hair  began  to  slip  on  some  of  the  specimens  before  I 
could  get  them  dried. 

My  three  servants,  George  Washington,  Abe  Lincoln, 
and  Henry  Clay— or  "Dendery  Glay"  as  John,  the 
driver,  interpreted  it — had  in  some  mysterious  way 
communicated  with  their  numerous  friends  and  rela- 
tives at  their  native  village,  so  that  we  were  soon  sur- 
rounded by  a  crowd  of  men  and  boys,  forty  or  more  in 
number,  all  eager  to  assist  in  carrying  in  the  game 
and  skinning  it.  In  this  work  I  found  them  very  use- 
ful. Like  the  vultures  that  they  were,  it  was  the  meat 
that  had  attracted  them  ;  and  the  surplus  of  what  I 
gave  them  they  cut  into  long  strips,  which  they  hung 
on  the  trees  to  dry.  By  their  continual  singing,  laugh- 
ing, and  talking  I  was  impressed  with  the  fact  that 
they  were  exceedingly  happy  in  having  all  the  meat 
they  could  eat ;  and  whenever  I  was  absent  they  felt 
it  incumbent  upon  them  to  steal  loads  of  venison  to 
send  home  to  their  wives  and  children.  Nevertheless, 
their  idiosyncrasies  supplied  me  with  much  amuse- 
ment. John  interpreted  some  of  their  songs,  but  I 
must  confess  that  their  music  was  not  of  a  particularly 
high  order,  nor  was  the  sentiment  the  most  elevating. 
Their  effusions  ran  much  in  this  strain,  which  is  by  no 
means  a  translation  of  any  particular  ditty,  but  is  a 
good  sample  of  their  idea  of  sentimental  music  : 

Father  killed  an  eland  bull, 

Eh-e-eh-e-eh,  eh-e-eh, 
Mother  stewed  a  big  pot  full, 

Eh-e-eh-e-eh,  eh-e-eh, 
Piccaninny  ate  his  belly  full, 

Eh-e-eh-e-eh,  eh-e-eh. 


BIG  GAME  AND  THE  RUSH  TO  THE  GOLD-FIELDS  129 

Then  follows  as  a  chorus  a  squeaky,  melancholy  war- 
ble of  "  Eh-e-eh-e-eh,"  until  you  are  tired. 

Throughout  much  of  the  night  my  self-invited  guests 
were  busy,  cooking  and  eating  meat.  In  fact,  I  do 
not  believe  that  they  had  had  such  a  glorious  picnic 
since  the  days  when  the  elephant  hunters  left  to  them 
the  carcasses  of  the  elephants  that  they  killed  in  the 
neighborhood. 

During  the  three  weeks  I  spent  at  this  hunting  field, 
called  Lemuka  by  the  Mashonas,  I  shot  and  preserved 
specimens  of  the  eland,  the  roan  antelope,  tsessebe 
antelope,  reedbuck,  sable  antelope,  Burchell's  zebra, 
koodoo,  oribi,  impala,  wart-hog,  and  jackal.  Having 
a  wagon-load  of  skins,  skeletons,  skulls,  and  horns,  I 
returned  to  Hartley. 


0 


CHAPTER  X 


MORE  BIG  GAME  HUNTING 

A  Message  from  Lo  Bengula — Preparing  Shelter  and  Food  for 
the  Rainy  Season— The  Bluejackets  as  Bullock  Drivers — 
We  Exchange  Meat  for  Native  Products  and  Ethnolog- 
ical Specimens — The  Vitality  of  Large  Game — A  Trip  to 
Guidzema — Prehistoric  Gold -Mining — Serenaded  by  Lions 
— My  Native  Servants  Attempt  to  Give  Me  the  Slip,  but 
Fail  —  Christofison's  Night  with  Lions — Vot  Goot  it 
Make  Dot  I  vas  Prave  ?  " 

On  my  return  to  Hartley  I  met  Mr.  James  Dawson, 
who  had  been  sent  from  Bnlawayo  in  company  with 
some  Matabele  chiefs,  with  greetings  to  the  white  men 
from  Lo  Bengula,  and  messages  from  the  great  king 
to  the  effect  that  he  was  glad  that  the  white  men  had 
succeeded  in  arriving  safely  in  the  country  without 
accident  or  sickness.  Even  an  African  savage  knows 
what  it  is  to  put  up  a  bluff. 

As  there  was  much  wet  weather,  it  now  became 
apparent  that  I  should  have  to  turn  ni}-  attention  to 
building  an  abode  for  the  rainy  season,  and  likewise 
a  shelter  for  my  specimens.  Messrs.  Johnson,  Heany, 
and  Borrows'  people  had  taken  possession  of  one  of 
the  kopjes  at  Hartley,  and  had  erected  upon  it  several 
huts  of  poles,  dagga,  and  thatch.  Mr.  Heany,  who 
was  there  at  that  time,  gave  me  permission  to  build  a 
hut  for  my  own  use  on  the  same  hill.    Forthwith  I 

130 


MOEE   BIG   GAME  HUNTING 


131 


went  into  the  woods  with  my  servants,  cut  a  wagon- 
load  of  poles,  and  hauled  them  to  the  hill.  In  a  few 
days  the  natives  had  constructed  the  framework 
of  a  hut.  Then  we  went  out  again  with  the  wagon, 
brought  in  a  load  of  grass,  and  spent  a  few  days 
more  in  building  the  walls  of  poles  and  grass,  and 
also  in  thatching  the  roof.  I  bought  a  ''wagon-sail" 
(a  large  piece  of  canvas  about  twenty  feet  wide  by 
thirty  in  length),  which  I  spread  over  the  top  of  the 
roof,  thus  making  it  perfectly  water-proof.  I  consid- 
ered myself  fortunate  in  being  able  to  purchase  such 
a  luxury,  for  at  that  time,  with  the  rainy  season  star- 
ing several  hundred  shelterless  men  in  the  face,  wagon- 
sails  were  at  a  premium.  In  fact,  I  had  to  pay  for  the 
one  purchased  a  sum  amounting  to  $45. 

I  had  now  given  a  full  month  to  the  collecting  of  spec- 
imens for  the  Museum,  so  I  decided  to  let  this  work  rest 
until  the  rainy  season  should  be  over,  and  turn  my  at- 
tention to  laying  in  a  supply  of  food.  Of  course  food 
was  not  plentiful,  and  the  little  we  were  able  to  pur- 
chase consisted  of  Boer  meal,  sugar,  and  split  peas. 
Although  at  the  time  the  prices  seemed  high,  I  do  not 
think  they  were  exorbitant ;  and,  in  fact,  they  were 
little  if  any  more  than  the  actual  cost  of  transporting 
the  goods  to  that  very  inaccessible  part  of  the  world. 
For  meat,  an  ox  was  killed  occasionally  ;  but  we  had 
to  depend  principally  upon  our  rifles. 

On  November  5th  I  went  with  the  wagon  north 
from  Hartley  to  a  river  called  the  Sarua.  Here 
I  found  game  plentiful,  but  by  no  means  so  abun- 
dant as  at  the  place  where  I  had  been  a  week  pre- 
vious. I  killed  several  head  of  roan  antelope  and 
other  species  of  game,  the  meat  of  which  the  natives  cut 
into  strips  and  hung  in  the  wind  to  dry  into  biltong. 
Having  obtained  a  good  wagon-load  of  meat,  I  told 


132  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 

the  boys  to  lead  us  to  a  village.  We  crossed  a  road 
which  was  now  pretty  well  beaten  down  by  travel ; 
and  here  we  met  a  party  of  Pioneers  who  had  come 
from  the  Mazoe  valley. 

They  were  not  particularly  enthusiastic  over  the 
gold  they  had  found,  but  as  the  party  consisted  of 
bluejackets,  who  had  never  before  had  any  experience 
in  gold-mining,  their  opinion  did  not  count  for  much 
one  way  or  the  other.  They  had  been  doing  their  own 
driving  with  a  native  Mashona  as  a  leader,  and  they 
complained  that  the  boy  had  run  away  the  night  be- 
fore, leaving  them  to  attend  to  the  oxen.  At  inspan- 
ning  time  it  is  customary  for  the  driver  to  crack  his 
long  whip  as  a  means  of  calling  the  herd-boy  to  come 
at  once  with  the  oxen.  When  we  met  the  sailors  they 
had  been  cracking  their  whips  vigorously  for  more 
than  an  hour,  and  were  much  annoyed  because  the  bul- 
locks did  not  come.  Having  previously  noticed  that 
the  oxen  always  appeared  when  the  whip  was  cracked, 
they  had  erroneously  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the 
animals  had  been  thus  trained,  and  they  were  much 
disappointed  on  discovering  their  mistake.  The  cat- 
tle had  strayed  so  far  away  that  it  took  the  sailors, 
assisted  by  my  boys,  several  hours  to  find  them. 

The  next  morning  we  arrived  at  the  home  village  of 
the  guides.  Our  driver,  who  had  had  some  experi- 
ence at  trading,  announced  to  the  people  that  we 
wished  to  exchange  meat  for  grain  and  other  products. 
Crowds  of  men  and  women  came  with  Kafir  corn,  beans, 
rice,  meal,  Indian  corn,  and  sweet  potatoes.  John  car- 
ried on  a  lively  business,  and  we  procured  several  bags 
of  produce.  It  was  amusing  to  watch  the  excitement 
of  the  Mashonas  as  they  crowded  around  our  commis- 
sionaire, talking  loudly  and  offering  their  supplies  for 
sale.    It  reminded  me  forcibly  of  hack-drivers  at  a 


MORE   BIG   GAME  HUNTING 


133 


Western  railway-station  crowding  around  a  passenger 
who  has  just  alighted.  I  succeeded  likewise  in  trad- 
ing for  a  valuable  collection  of  ethnological  specimens 
such  as  spears,  battle-axes,  musical  instruments,  and 
domestic  utensils.  I  noticed  that  the  young  men  and 
boys  fondled  one  another,  and  went  about  with  arms 
around  each  other,  just  as  one  sees  the  girls  do  in 
civilized  communities.  In  fact,  a  great  many  customs 
seemed  to  be  exactly  the  reverse  of  ours.  The  second 
day,  accompanied  by  a  guide  from  the  village,  I  went 
about  half  a  mile  away,  and  killed  two  tsessebe  ante- 
lopes. I  brought  each  down  with  a  single  shot  at 
two  hundred  and  forty  yards,  and  began  to  feel  a 
little  proud  of  my  marksmanship. 

We  left  the  village  with  the  intention  of  returning  to 
Lemuka.  On  the  way  we  saw  several  wild  ostriches — 
a  cock  and  a  hen,  with  a  number  of  young  following 
them — but  they  were  too  wary  to  allow  me  to  get 
near  them.  The  days  were  now  becoming  hot,  al- 
though the  nights  were  generally  cool.  The  vegetation 
was  budding  out  vigorously,  much  more  rapidly  than 
I  have  seen  it  elsewhere.  We  had  just  crossed  to  the 
south  bank  of  the  Umfuli  Kiver  when  a  zebra  came 
trotting  up  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  wagon. 
When  I  shot  him  he  cantered  a  little  way  and 
stopped.  I  fired  at  him  again,  and  he  went  off  farther. 
I  circled  around,  approached  from  behind  a  clump  of 
trees  within  a  hundred  yards,  and  fired  at  his  side 
as  he  stood  on  a  knoll.  He  then  turned,  facing  from 
me,  and,  profoundly  mystified  because  he  did  not 
fall,  I  put  another  bullet  into  him.  As  I  had  only 
three  cartridges  left,  I  sent  Henry  Clay  to  the  wagon 
for  the  Ballard  rifle  and  more  ammunition.  The  zebra 
stood  a  while  longer,  then  staggered  backward,  and 
fell.    I  went  up  to  him  as  he  was  lying  on  his  side, 


134  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

still  struggling,  and,  wondering  wliat  was  tlie  matter 
with  my  shooting,  sent  a  ball  into  his  heart  to  put 
him  out  of  pain. 

I  found  that  three  of  my  bullets  had  gone  through 
his  lungs,  one  through  his  viscera  from  the  flank,  and 
one  into  his  heart.  The  amount  of  vitality  that  some 
of  these  animals  display  is  marvellous.  Oftentimes, 
when  one  fires  at  game,  it  goes  away  as  though  not 
hit,  when  in  reality  the  bullet  has  struck  within  a  few 
inches  of  where  the  marksman  aimed.  Hence  the  ad- 
visability of  always  following  the  spoor  of  a  wounded 
animal.  The  next  morning  I  killed  a  male  tsessebe 
about  five  hundred  yards  from  my  camp.  I  shot  him 
straight  through  his  lungs,  just  behind  the  shoulder. 
He  ran  nearly  three  hundred  yards  before  he  fell,  and 
even  then  he  struggled  some  time  before  dying.  The 
zebra  meat  tasted  somewhat  insipid,  or  at  least  I 
thought  it  did,  although  it  may  have  been  a  fancy 
caused  by  my  imagining  that  I  was  eating  horse-flesh. 
We  heard  lions  roaring  all  the  following  night,  but 
failing  to  find  any  of  them,  I  set  out  the  next  morning 
for  Hartley.  On  arriving  there  I  spent  several  days  in 
building  a  much-needed  addition  to  my  hut,  for  the 
original  structure  was  already  filled  with  specimens. 

On  November  16th,  with  a  cart  and  eight  oxen,  I 
started  for  a  place  called  Guidzema,  situated  on  the 
Umfuli  River  thirty  miles  below  Hartley.  Major 
Johnson' s  agent  had  requested  me  to  take  down  a 
prospector,  Mr.  Krohn.  We  had  proceeded  only  a 
few  miles  when  a  heavy  downpour  of  rain  came  upon 
us,  so  we  promptly  outspanned,  and  Krohn  ingeni- 
ously arranged  his  small  patrol  tent  over  the  cart  in 
such  a  way  as  to  make  a  comfortable  shelter.  Under 
this  we  spent  the  rest  of  the  day,  reading  novels. 

Guidzema  was  an  interesting  place,  as  about  it  were 


MORE   BIG   GAME  HUNTING 


135 


indications  of  a  vast  amount  of  prehistoric  gold-min- 
ing. Along  the  river  the  soil  and  gravel  had  been 
turned  over,  evidently  in  the  search  for  alluvial  gold. 
The  quartz-reefs  in  this  neighborhood  had  likewise 
been  worked  to  a  considerable  depth,  some  of  them 
to  fifty  and  sixty  feet,  which  was  apparently  water 
level.  On  the  hills  near  at  hand,  which  had  been 
inhabited  by  the  ancient  miners,  were  numbers  of 
grinding-stones  with  the  upper  surface  hollowed,  on 
which  the  people  who  had  mined  the  gold  had  ground 
the  quartz,  preparatory  to  panning  it.  There  were  also 
the  remains  of  two  old  houses  built  of  adobe  bricks. 
These  were  forty  feet  in  length  by  twenty  in  width. 
Possibly  they  were  those  of  a  Portuguese  Jesuit  mis- 
sion station,  or,  more  probably,  the  dwelling-place  of 
some  Portuguese  trader,  who  may  have  lived  there 
fifty  or  one  hundred  years  before,  buying  gold  from 
native  miners. 

Krohn  decided  to  make  his  camp  on  the  top  of  one 
of  the  kopjes,  from  which  the  view  was  superb.  One 
could  look  over  the  forest-covered  country  for  many 
miles.  To  the  southwest  were  ranges  of  hills  which 
assumed  the  proportions  of  mountains,  and  high  hills 
arose  in  other  directions  also.  A  strange  sensation  came 
over  me  while  I  viewed  the  quiet  valleys  below,  and 
thought  of  the  activity  that  must  have  prevailed  there 
at  some  earlier  period.  The  vleis  were  covered  with 
young  and  succulent  grass,  rapidly  shooting  up  from 
the  abundant  rains.  Feeding  on  the  green  sward 
were  herds  of  zebras,  tsessebes,  sable  antelopes,  and 
reedbucks. 

That  evening  I  managed  to  get  the  cart  to  the  top  of 
the  kopje,  and  camped  there.  I  had  never  before,  nor 
have  I  since,  heard  such  a  serenade  of  lions  as  we  were 
favored  with  that  night.    There  seemed  to  be  dozens 


136  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

of  them  in  different  directions,  and  the  roaring  con- 
tinued till  sunrise.  I  spent  the  day  in  hunting, 
hoping  that  I  might  run  across  some  of  them,  but 
in  this  endeavor  I  was  disappointed.  Just  before  sun- 
set I  wounded  a  male  waterbuck,  the  shot  failing  to 
kill  him  outright.  The  timber  was  thick,  but  I  could 
easily  follow  the  blood  spoor.  The  animal  was  cun- 
ning enough  to  take  his  course  down  the  wind,  so  that 
whenever  I  might  have  approached  near  to  him,  he 
had  scented  me  and  travelled  on.  I  followed  until  af- 
ter sunset ;  then  gave  up  the  chase  as  hopeless  and 
started  for  camp.  On  the  way  back  I  crossed  the 
trail  again,  and  observed  that  over  my  own  foot- 
prints were  the  tracks  of  a  lion  which  had  been  fol- 
lowing me  on  the  blood  spoor  !  Not  to  be  outdone,  I 
turned  about,  and  attempted  to  overtake  the  lion  ; 
but  it  soon  became  too  dark  to  make  out  clearly  the 
sights  of  my  rifle,  so  I  reluctantly  returned  to  the  cart, 
arriving  there  some  time  after  dusk. 

That  night  we  were  again  serenaded  by  lions.  It 
sounded  as  if  the  beasts  in  fifty  menageries  were  be- 
ing fed  at  one  time.  The  brutes  seemed  to  go  sere- 
nading in  parties.  One  led  off  with  a  prelude,  then 
another  took  up  the  roar,  followed  by  another  and 
another,  until  the  troop  fairly  made  the  surrounding 
elements  vibrate.  When  a  chorus  of  two  or  more 
companies  of  lions  pealed  out  on  the  still  night 
air,  the  earth  seemed  actually  to  quake  beneath  us. 
They  came  several  times  close  under  the  hill  on  which 
we  were  camped,  and  we  were  inspired  with  respect- 
ful awe  for  the  great  king  of  beasts.  As  dawn 
approached  the  music  gradually  melted  away,  and 
upon  awaking  at  broad  daylight  after  a  last  morn- 
ing's nap,  all  was  so  quiet  that  I  half  felt  as  though 
I  had  been  having  a  nightmare.    Doubtless  it  was 


MORE   BIG   GAME  HUNTING 


137 


fortunate  for  our  oxen,  and  possibly  even  for  our- 
selves, that  we  were  not  camped  upon  the  flats  be- 
neath the  kopje.  One  lion  had  exercised  his  melo- 
dious voice  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  wounded 
antelope,  and  as  he  remained  during  the  whole  night 
in  one  locality,  I  concluded  that  he  had  overtaken 
the  waterbuck,  and  was  enjoying  his  evening  meal. 
With  the  approach  of  dawn  his  roaring  also  ceased. 
As  soon  as  it  was  light  I  hurried  off,  but  after  search- 
ing for  several  hours  I  gave  up  the  hope  of  finding 
the  lion,  went  back  to  the  cart,  inspanned,  and  started 
for  Hartley. 

Prior  to  my  Guidzema  trip  T  had  given  permission 
to  my  three  Mashoria  servants  to  return  to  their  vil- 
lage for  a  short  visit.  Several  days  elapsed  after  the 
time  they  had  appointed  for  returning,  and  they  did 
not  appear.  As  I  was  new  in  the  country,  and  from 
books  had  gained  the  idea  that  savages  are  excep- 
tionally honorable,  I  had  very  foolishly  paid  them  in 
advance  for  three  months'  work.  Determined  not  to 
be  swindled,  I  set  out  to  find  them,  and  eventually  dis- 
covered them  sitting  around  the  fires  at  their  village, 
perfectly  contented,  and  evidently  without  the  slight- 
est idea  of  ever  returning  to  complete  the  time  for 
which  they  had  been  paid.  They  were  much  sur- 
prised at  seeing  me,  as  they  apparently  had  never 
dreamed  that  I  should  be  able  to  find  them.  George 
Washington  and  Abe  Lincoln  decided  to  fulfil  their 
contract,  but  Henry  Clay  ran  off  among  the  rocks  and 
hid  ;  so  the  chief  sent  another  boy  in  his  place,  and 
him  I  named  Thomas  Jefferson. 

In  the  latter  part  of  November  the  lions  about 
Hartley  became  a  great  annoyance.  Many  of  them 
seemed  to  have  migrated  from  Guidzema,  and  a  num- 
ber of  horses,  cattle,  and  donkeys  fell  victims.  Dur- 


138 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


iug  the  entire  niglit  of  the  29th,  at  a  camp  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  there  was  a  tremendous 
roaring  intermingled  with  a  succession  of  shots.  I 
concluded  that  without  doubt  several  lions  had  been 
killed,  so  the  next  morning  I  went  across  to  investi- 
gate. The  shooting  had  occurred  at  "  Jock  "  Frazier's 
camp,  where,  in  Frazier's  absence,  a  young  man 
named  Chris tofison  was  staying  alone.  The  frame 
of  the  hut  was  made  of  saplings,  but  the  walls  were  of 
grass,  hence  they  were  no  more  a  barrier  to  lions  than 
so  much  paper.  At  the  end  of  the  house,  and  adjoin- 
ing it,  was  an  enclosure  built  of  upright  poles,  ten  to 
twelve  feet  in  height.  In  this  Frazier  kept  his  horse, 
and  the  structure  was  sufficiently  secure  to  make  it 
impossible  for  a  lion  to  break  through.  Frazier  pos- 
sessed also  a  big  bull-dog,  which  had  sense  enough  to 
keep  inside  the  house  after  dark,  and  lie  quiet.  The 
lions  had  paraded  up  and  down,  roaring  lustily,  and 
evidently  much  put  out  at  being  prevented  by  Cliris- 
tofison's  continual  firing  from  having  a  feast.  This 
young  man  had  spent  most  of  his  life  as  a  bank  clerk, 
and  hence  had  never  been  accustomed  to  ^'roughing 
it."  He  said  he  would  not  stay  another  night  by  him- 
self in  that  place  for  any  amount  of  money,  as  he  had 
been  in  mortal  dread  lest  the  lions  should  rush  in 
upon  him. 

Later  in  the  season  Frazier  moved  to  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  and  slept  in  a  tent  with  his  horse  tied  to 
a  neighboring  tree,  where  he  could  keep  guard  over 
him.  One  night  he  went  away,  and  left  his  steed  in 
charge  of  a  German  named  Pietratz.  At  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  while  the  latter  was  lying  in  the 
tent,  reading  by  candle-light,  a  lion  pounced  upon  the 
horse.  Pietratz  lifted  the  edge  of  the  tent  to  see  what 
was  causing  the  commotion,  and  discovering  the  lion 


MORE   BIG   GAME  HUNTING 


139 


witllin  a  few  feet  of  him,  decided  not  to  interfere. 
Tlie  horse  was  killed,  dragged  away,  and  devoured. 
Frazier's  wrath  was  uncontrollable  when  he  returned 
and  found  what  had  happened.  He  upbraided  Pie- 
tratz  for  cowardice,  but  the  German  replied,  Yot  goot 
it  make  dot  I  vas  prave  ?  Ven  I  vas  killt,  all  de  peo- 
ples vould  say,  '  Look  at  dat  bloody  vool.  He  tink 
he  drive  a  lion  avay  from  a  horse  de  same  vot  he  drive 
a  pig  avay  from  a  dog  ! '  No,  no,  de  vools  vas  not  all 
dead  any  more  1 " 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS 

The  Rainy  Season  at  its  Worst — The  Mining  Outlook— A 
Serious  Attack  of  Gold  Fever — Thomas  Jefferson's" 
Father  Leads  us  to  a  Fine  "  Magodi "  —  We  Decide 
that  it  is  an  Old  Paint  Mine — Some  Hunting,  by  Way  of 
Variety — The  Natives  Reveal  Another  Ancient  Gold- Mine 
— We  go  Farther  Afield,  and  Discover  Acres  of  Old 
Workings  —  Lions,  the  Umsweswe  River,  Crocodiles,  and 
Honey  Birds  " — Mr.  John  Hawes  Offers  the  Benefit  of 
his  Knowledge  of  Gold-Mining— "  Oh  for  the  Power  of 
Supernatural  Vision  " — We  Visit  the  Eiffel  District— A 
Terrible  Night  in  the  Jungle — Hardships  at  Hartley — A 
Barefooted  Trip  to  Salisbury— Malarial  Fever  and  "  Rand's 
Kicker." 

By  December  1st,  the  rainy  season  was  fully  upon 
us.  Sucli  continuously  wet  weather  I  had  never 
encountered.  Both  day  and  night  the  sky  was  over- 
cast with  heavy  clouds,  and  showers  occurred  at  almost 
hourly  intervals.  Sometimes  the  rain  came  as  a  light 
misty  drizzle  ;  at  other  times  it  was  a  tremendous 
drenching  downpour,  accompanied  by  heavy  peals  of 
thunder.  The  surrounding  country  soon  presented 
the  appearance  of  one  vast  frog-pond  ;  and  in  spite  of 
my  best  endeavors,  my  specimens  and  other  belong- 
ings stored  in  the  grass  hut  became  covered  with 
mold. 

140 


THE  GOLD  FEVEK,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS  141 

As  there  was  absolutely  nothing  to  be  done  in  my 
line  of  work  until  the  wet  season  should  be  over,  I  thus 
had  time  to  look  about  me  and  see  what  was  going  on  in 
the  mining  districts.  Quite  a  community  of  Pioneers 
and  prospectors  had  collected  at  Hartley,  the  largest 
camp  being  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Zimbo  River 
with  the  Umfuli.  Although  the  ancient  workings 
thereabouts  were  interesting,  they  were  not  of  a  strik- 
ing character.  They  consisted  merely  of  mounds  of 
earth,  long  trenches,  and  other  excavations  made  by 
the  prehistoric  miners  in  digging  out  the  gold-bearing 
quartz.  These  workings  did  not  extend  continuously 
along  a  reef,  but  were  sunk  in  places  where  rich  ore 
was  found.  The  quartz-veins  are  similar  to  those  in 
America  and  Australia,  in  that  the  gold  is  erratic  in 
its  occurrence,  some  parts  of  the  reef  being  absolutely 
barren,  while  others  contain  exceedingly  rich  deposits. 

In  October  a  new  gold-bearing  locality,  called  the 
Concession  Hill  district,  had  been  discovered  sixteen 
miles  from  Hartley.  There  had  been  a  big  rush  to 
that  place,  but  now  that  the  excessive  rains  had  set 
in,  the  prospectors  had  begun  to  return  to  Hartley  to 
arrange  dwelling-places  in  which  to  spend  the  remain- 
der of  the  season.  Some  had  built  huts  of  poles  and 
grass,  but  many  were  still  living  in  tents.  Besides 
the  Pioneers,  there  were  companies  of  men  engaged 
in  prospecting  and  developing  for  Messrs.  Johnson, 
Heany  &  Borrow,  for  the  Bechuanaland  Exploration 
Company,  for  a  syndicate  of  the  British  South  Africa 
Company  Police  officers,  and  for  syndicates  represent- 
ing the  different  troops  of  the  Chartered  Company's 
Police  force. 

I  went  around  to  the  various  camps  and  saw  men 
crushing  quartz  in  small  iron  mortars,  and  taking  the 
powdered  stone  to  the  streams  to  pan  it,  in  order 


142 


OX  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


to  see  what  gold  it  contained.  The  fascination  of  see- 
ing the  yellow  metal  thus  produced  soon  brought  upon 
me  the  contagion,  which  is  almost  inevitablj^  certain 
to  visit  everyone  who  spends  any  time  on  a  gold-field ; 
and,  at  last,  I  was  seized  with  what  is  termed  the  gold 
fever. 

The  ancient  miners  had  been  thorough  in  their  search 
for  treasure,  therefore  any  outcroppings  of  quartz 
which  had  not  been  previously  worked  were  always 
found  to  be  barren.  Consequently,  the  method  now 
adopted  consisted  in  paying  the  Mashonas  in  blankets, 
articles  of  clothing,  or  whatever  the  prospector  had  to 
spare,  to  lead  him  to  some  old  gold-mine  off  in  the 
thick  bushes.  One  day  the  father  of  my  new  servant, 
Thomas  Jefferson,  came  to  visit  his  son.  In  convers- 
ing with  him,  I  learned  that  he  knew  of  a  fine  mago- 
di"  (old  working)  about  a  day's  walk  down  the  Um- 
fuli  River.  I  promised  to  give  him  and  his  brother 
a  blanket  each,  if  they  would  lead  me  to  the  place ; 
and  we  at  once  set  out. 

We  traversed  a  level  strip  of  country  covered  with 
thick  bush  and  trees,  mainly  mopani  and  machabel. 
Although  we  were  delayed  considerably  by  rain  we  ar- 
rived at  our  destination  just  before  dark.  The  na- 
tives promptly  set  to  work  to  build  a  beehive  hut  of 
poles  and  thatch.  They  cut  quantities  of  bushes  and 
piled  them  around  the  outside,  thus  making  the  en- 
closure so  strong  that  lions  and  other  prowling  animals 
could  not  enter. 

The  next  morning,  on  inspecting  the  site  of  the 
ancient  mine,  I  was  astonished  at  the  enormous 
amount  of  work  that  had  been  done  there.  Over  a 
surface  of  nearly  five  acres  the  earth  had  been  dug 
into  pits  and  thrown  into  mounds.  It  seemed  rather 
to  have  been  placer  diggings  than  a  quartz-mine.  Run- 


THE  GOLD  FEVEK,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS  143 

ning  east  and  west  beyond  the  end  of  the  workings 
were  four  parallel  reefs  of  white  quartz,  while  extend- 
ing at  right  angles  to  these,  and  apparently  joining 
them  at  the  excavations,  was  another  reef  of  the  same 
character.  I  have  been  told  that  it  is  at  the  junction 
of  lodes  that  the  best  gold  is  to  be  found,  and  this  seems 
to  have  been  the  case  with  the  mine  in  question.  How- 
ever, knowing  nothing  of  gold-mining,  and  having  no 
tools  of  any  sort  with  which  to  prospect,  my  first 
conclusion  was  erroneous.  As  the  formation  was 
of  a  reddish  slate  or  clay,  which  when  pounded  up 
made  a  very  good  red  paint,  I  decided  that  it  was 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  an  old  paint  mine,  whither 
tribes  of  natives  had  come  in  ancient  times  to  decorate 
themselves ;  hence  I  left  the  place  in  disgust.  I  after- 
ward learned  that  in  Georgia,  gold  occurs  in  a  similar 
formation;  but  before  I  could  find  the  mine  again 
another  man  had  located  it. 

What  was  of  more  interest  to  me  than  anything  else 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  ^' paint  mine,"  was  the 
large  number  of  elephant  skeletons  lying  about,  the 
remains  of  animals  which  had  evidently  been  killed 
for  ivory  in  earlier  days.  As  we  were  leaving  the  place 
one  of  the  boys  pointed  out  an  animal,  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  from  me,  which  at  first  sight  I 
took  to  be  a  rhinoceros,  but  which  immediately  dwin- 
dled down  to  a  large  wart-hog — one  of  the  most  hideous 
of  animal  species  now  living.  I  managed  to  get  within 
seventy-five  yards  of  the  beast,  and  shot  it.  It  was  a 
fine  specimen,  with  tremendous  tusks  curling  up  over 
the  top  of  its  snout.  On  our  way  back  to  Hartley  I 
heard  firing  in  different  directions,  and  thus  knew  that 
other  Pioneers  were  wandering  about  through  the  wil- 
derness on  errands  similar  to  my  own — that  of  finding 
a  fortune  in  gold-mines.    At  first  I  was  amazed  at  the 


144  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

ability  of  the  natives  in  taking  a  straight  course 
toward  home  through  the  dense  bush,  but  later  I  was 
obliged  to  discount  their  powers,  for  they  became 
bewildered,  and  had  to  climb  trees  in  order  to  get  their 
bearings. 

We  had  not  travelled  far  when  we  came  across  a 
black  rhinoceros  feeding  in  a  meadow.  Forthwith  I 
crept  within  two  hundred  yards  of  him,  and  was  just 
taking  careful  aim  from  behind  an  ant-heap,  when  the 
roar  of  a  gun  from  another  direction  sent  the  animal 
thundering  away  through  the  bushes,  snorting  like  a 
steam-engine.  I  was  greatly  annoyed  at  finding  that 
one  of  my  own  guides  had  fired  with  his  old  muzzle- 
loading  gun.  Even  if  the  native  had  been  fortunate 
enough  to  hit  the  animal,  the  penetrative  force  of  his 
weapon  would  not  have  been  sufficient  even  to  send 
the  bullet  through  the  creature's  hide. 

A  few  days  after  our  return  to  Hartley,  Abe  Lincoln's 
father  came  to  my  camp,  and  announced  that  he  knew 
where  there  was  an  old  working  that  he  was  sure  I 
would  consider  a  good  one.  As  the  gold  fever  had  by 
no  means  subsided,  I  followed  him.  He  led  me  into  a 
district  which  was  called  the  fly  country" — that  in- 
fested by  the  tsetse  fly,  the  bite  of  which  is  fatal  to 
domestic  animals.  We  made  slow  progress,  as  the 
natives  persisted  in  following  every  ''honey  bird" 
that  came  chirping  near  us.  These  little  birds  chat- 
tered about,  apparently  in  a  state  of  great  excite- 
ment. When  followed,  they  invariably  led  us  to  a 
bees'  nest.  Presumably,  the  bird  desires  to  have  the 
nest  destroyed  that  it  may  obtain  a  share  of  the  honey 
or  young  bees.  Although  I  have  observed  dozens  of 
nests  opened,  I  have  never  in  a  single  instance  seen 
the  natives  leave  anything  for  the  bird.  What  they 
do  not  carry  with  them,  they  bury  in  the  ground  so 


THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS  145 

that  the  bird  cannot  find  it.  Whether  this  proceed- 
ing was  the  result  of  depravity  or  of  a  desire  to  compel 
the  bird  to  lead  them  to  another  nest,  I  was  unable  to 
determine;  we  will  assume  that  it  was  the  latter.  The 
natives  obtained  great  quantities  of  honey  from  the 
bee- trees,  which  they  felled  and  opened  with  their  axes. 

We  finally  arrived  at  a  river  called  the  Monde- 
tonga,  on  which  the  ancient  workings  were  situated. 
We  made  a  camp  on  the  top  of  one  of  the  neighboring 
hills,  which  showed  evidences  of  having  been  in- 
habited by  some  ancient  race  of  miners.  Many  grind- 
ing-stones  were  scattered  about,  and  close  to  the  river, 
chiselled  into  the  solid  rock,  were  small  mortars,  which 
had  evidently  been  used  for  the  purpose  of  crushing 
quartz.  In  the  neighborhood  were  thick  patches  of 
jungle,  among  which  rose  enormous  conical  ant-heaps. 
Apparently  the  grass  had  not  been  burnt  for  several 
seasons ;  thus,  with  the  vigorous  new  growth  which 
had  sprung  up  as  a  result  of  the  prolific  rains,  many 
places  were  difficult  to  penetrate.  Flocks  of  guinea- 
fowl  came  to  roost  in  the  large  trees  of  the  jungle. 
Elephant  spoor  was  plentiful,  these  animals  having 
recently  visited  the  place,  and  having  left  paths  which 
were  as  easy  to  travel  over  as  a  well-beaten  road. 
Many  branches  had  been  broken  from  the  trees  on 
which  they  had  been  feeding.  The  natives  told  me 
that  elephants  visit  that  district  almost  every  rainy 
season,  returning  again  toward  the  Zambesi  in  the 
dry  months  of  the  year.  I  was  well  pleased  with  the 
appearance  of  the  old  workings,  but  was  somewhat 
doubtful  concerning  their  worth,  as  I  had  no  way  of 
ascertaining  the  value  of  the  gold  which  they  con- 
tained. Nevertheless,  I  went  to  Hartley  the  following 
day,  and  registered  the  claims  at  the  Mining  Commis- 
sioner's office. 
10 


146  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

Having  obtained  an  old  pick  and  shovel,  I  returned 
to  the  Mondetonga  River,  and  spent  some  days  on  the 
claims,  prospecting  in  a  crude  way,  as  others  did. 
My  quartz-mill  consisted  of  a  stone  and  a  small  ham- 
mer. With  this  I  crushed  pieces  of  quartz  into  dust 
which  I  took  to  the  river  and  panned  out  in  my  fry- 
ing-pan. One  evening  Messrs.  Borrow  and  Stevenson 
came  along  with  a  party  of  natives  who  were  taking 
them  out  to  show  them  some  old  workings.  They 
were  much  astonished  at  finding  me  there  with  no 
white  partner,  having  flattered  themselves  that  they 
were  farther  afield  than  any  prospector  had  yet  been. 
They  assumed  a  mysterious  air  concerning  their  desti- 
nation, as  gold-seekers  usually  do  when  they  think 
they  have  a  rich  find  ;  hence  I  asked  them  no  leading 
questions.  They  camped  just  across  the  river  from 
me,  and  on  the  next  morning  took  their  course  toward 
the  Umsweswi  River. 

With  my  three  boys  I  followed  down  the  Monde- 
tongja  to  see  if  I  could  not  find  some  ancient  mines 
better  in  appearance  than  those  which  I  had  located. 
In  less  than  a  mile  from  my  camp  we  found  extensive 
old  workings,  and  tramped  over  acres  and  acres  of 
them,  until  at  last  I  became  quite  bewildered.  Having 
a  right  to  only  one  block  of  claims,  I  was  sorely  puzzled 
to  know  where  would  be  the  best  place  to  locate  it.  I 
spent  a  day  there,  breaking  up  pieces  of  quartz,  pan- 
ning the  crushings  in  my  crude  appliance,  the  frying- 
pan,  and  finding  such  excellent  traces  of  gold  that  my 
excitement  became  intense.  The  next  morning  we 
resumed  our  journey  toward  the  southwest.  During 
the  day  it  rained  several  times.  In  fact,  about 
every  hour  there  was  a  thunder-shower,  so  that  my 
clothes  were  wringing  wet  nearly  all  the  time.  About 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  came  to  the  bank  of  a 


THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS  147 

small  river,  and  almost  ran  against  a  herd  of  water- 
bucks.  They  were  so  amazed  at  seeing  us,  that  they 
did  not  move  until  I  fired  a  shot,  which  brought  one 
of  them  to  the  ground.  They  ran  up  the  opposite 
bank,  and  stopped  to  look  again.  I  shot  another  one, 
which  fell,  but  immediately  jumped  up  and  ran  off. 

I  decided  to  camp  there  for  the  night ;  so  the  boys 
built  a  hut,  and  then  skinned  the  antelope.  I  had 
started  from  Hartley  with  only  ten  pounds  of  Kafir 
meal — nothing  else,  not  even  salt.  The  natives  had 
lived  entirely  on  meat  and  honey.  That  night  I  ate 
my  last  meal  of  porridge,  and  from  thenceforth  was 
obliged  to  subsist  on  the  same  food  as  my  boys.  Just 
at  dusk  lions  began  roaring  not  far  away,  in  the  direc- 
tion in  which  the  wounded  antelope  had  gone  ;  so  I  con- 
cluded that  they  were  having  a  feast.  The  natives 
quickly  went  outside,  and  cut  more  bushes  and  poles  in 
order  to  strengthen  our  hut.  They  seemed  a  little  un- 
easy, and  said,  "  Panu  skellum  meninge  "  (a  bad  place 
for  lions).  The  lions  continued  roaring  all  night,  and 
at  one  time  were  certainly  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
us. 

The  next  morning  as  soon  as  it  was  light  we 
packed  up  our  few  belongings,  and  started  toward  the 
place  where  we  had  heard  the  roaring.  I  soon  discov- 
ered a  pair  of  ears  sticking  out  of  the  grass  forty 
paces  in  front  of  me.  Believing  that  they  were  owned 
by  a  lion,  I  aimed  with  my  rifle  between  and  beneath 
them,  and  fired.  The  bullet  struck,  but  went  singing 
off  a  mile  beyond  the  animal — which  to  my  great  disap- 
pointment I  found  to  be  a  large  wart-hog.  The  ball  had 
entered  his  head,  and  had  travelled  the  entire  length 
of  his  body.  If  we  were  near  the  lions,  the  firing  had 
now  put  them  on  the  alert,  so  that  they  remained  con- 
cealed. 


148  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

A  few  hours  later  we  arrived  at  the  Umsweswi  River. 
Here  we  saw  hippopotamus  tracks.  We  journeyed 
down  the  right  bank,  and  had  not  proceeded  far  when 
I  saw  an  enormous  crocodile  stretched  out  on  a 
sand  bank  on  the  opposite  side.  Its  length  I  esti- 
mated at  eighteen  feet.  Although  there  was  no  possi- 
bility of  doing  anything  with  the  skin,  this  was  too 
good  an  opportunity  to  miss,  so  I  took  careful  aim  at 
the  animal' s  head,  and  killed  it  where  it  lay.  I  wanted 
the  boys  to  cross  the  river  with  me,  but  they  stub- 
bornly refused,  saying  that  they  were  afraid  of  the  Ma- 
tabeles.  They  were  more  interested  in  honey  than  in 
scaly  old  crocodiles.  In  fact,  they  seemed  to  have  the 
honey  fever  as  badly  as  I  had  the  gold  fever.  When- 
ever a  honey  bird  appeared  they  persisted  in  following 
it,  in  spite  of  my  protestations. 

Again  we  came  across  great  numbers  of  ancient 
workings,  all  of  which  seemed  to  be  situated  at  the 
junction  of  granite  and  slate  formations.  In  the  latter 
there  appeared  to  be  no  trace  whatever  of  quartz.  The 
next  day  Thomas  Jefferson  accompanied  me  on  a  visit 
to  some  neighboring  hills.  We  found  them  covered 
with  old  stone  walls,  which  at  one  time  had  been 
strong  fortifications,  doubtless  belonging  to  the  people 
who  had  formerly  mined  there,  whether  natives,  Por- 
tuguese, Phoenicians,  Arabs,  or  the  subjects  of  the 
Queen  of  Sheba.  We  fared  very  well  on  honey  and 
meat,  and  after  a  day  or  two  returned  to  Hartley. 

Arriving  at  the  Zimbo  River,  near  the  camp,  I  sat 
down  to  rest  and  quench  my  thirst.  I  met  there  Mr. 
John  Hawes,  who,  with  his  brother,  was  prospecting  for 
a  syndicate  of  the  Police  officers.  I  told  him  that  I  had 
seen  miles  of  ancient  workings,  and  was  really  puzzled 
to  know  where  to  locate  my  claims.  At  once  John  be- 
came confidential,  and  assured  me  that  we  would  bet- 


THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOE  CLAIMS  149 

ter  keep  the  matter  to  ourselves.  He  offered  to  go 
with  me  in  order  to  give  me  the  benefit  of  his  experi- 
ence, and  knowledge  of  gold-mining ;  and  he  agreed 
to  locate  my  claims  first  on  the  best  ground  we 
could  find,  and  then  to  peg  three  blocks  for  the 
officers'  syndicate.  John  talked  learnedly  in  pros- 
pecting parlance  concerning  the  "  hanging  wall,"  the 
^'footwall,"  and  the  "angle  of  inclination"  of  reefs, 
and  the  ''metallic  lustre  "  of  quartz  ;  hence  I  inferred 
that  he  knew  a  great  deal  about  mining.  I  ac- 
cepted his  offer ;  and  the  next  day  I  started  again 
for  the  Monde  tonga  and  Umsweswi  rivers  in  company 
with  Hawes. 

We  went  over  the  ground  I  had  previously  covered, 
and  visited  the  various  ancient  workings.  Hawes  was 
soon  as  much  excited  and  perplexed  as  I  had  been  at 
seeing  such  an  enormous  amount  of  unpegged  ground. 
We  both  felt  that  somewhere  in  that  vast  area  lay  our 
fortunes,  if  we  could  only  hit  upon  the  right  spot. 
But  we  feared  to  "locate,"  lest  we  should  make  a 
mistake,  and  take  ground  which  was  valueless.  Oh, 
for  the  power  of  supernatural  vision  that  we  might  di- 
vine the  secrets  of  the  earth  beneath  us ! 

We  finally  determined  to  spend  a  few  days  in  ex- 
amining the  Concession  Hill  district.  While  there,  I 
went  in  company  with  my  boys  to  a  valley  in  which  1 
had  been  told  were  great  numbers  of  wild  hogs.  I  did 
not  expect  to  see  them  as  plentiful  as  they  had  been 
represented,  and  was  greatly  astonished  when  looking 
down  upon  the  valley  from  a  hill  to  see  droves  of  them 
rooting  about,  appearing  like  small  herds  of  domes- 
tic hogs.  I  killed  two,  and  then  crossed  the  hills  to 
the  Mondetonga  River.  As  we  were  travelling  along, 
the  odor  as  of  something  dead  arose  from  a  neighbor- 
ing ant-heap.    My  natives  began  to  sniff  about,  and 


150  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

followed  in  the  direction  whence  the  smell  came. 
They  found  a  dead  pig  that  had  been  shot  by  some 
prospector  several  days  before.  In  spite  of  my  vigor- 
ous protestations,  the  boys  persisted  in  taking  the 
meat.  I  offered  to  kill  another  pig  for  them  at  once, 
but  the  instinct  for  picking  up  whatever  carrion  they 
could  find  was  so  strong  within  them  that  my  objec- 
tions were  futile,  and  they  had  their  way. 

Before  we  reached  camp  a  tremendous  downpour 
came  upon  us,  and  I  was  drenched  to  the  skin.  We 
met  a  gang  of  Mashona  huntsmen,  who  were  arrang- 
ing a  shelter  from  the  rain.  My  men  insisted  on  stop' 
ping  and  spending  the  night  with  their  friends,  saying 
that  they  would  follow  me  early  the  next  morning  ; 
so  I  let  them  remain  and  went  on  alone.  It  was 
farther  to  camp  than  I  had  anticipated,  and  night 
overtook  me  before  I  had  got  through  the  hills.  The 
heavy  rain  continued.  Drenched  and  shivering,  I 
wandered  in  inky  darkness  through  the  wilderness, 
bumping  against  trees  and  stumbling  over  rocks,  until 
at  last  appeared  a  welcome  gleam  of  light  from  a  pros- 
pector's  camp,  where  I  found  shelter  for  the  night. 

There  were  rumors  afloat  of  an  excellent  find  in  a 
district  which  had  been  named  the  ^'Eiffel,"  but  the 
discoverers  maintained  the  greatest  secrecy  concerning 
the  locality.  One  day  Hawes  and  I  were  delighted  at 
finding  the  trail  of  a  wagon  which  had  taken  Mr.  Har- 
mon, a  mining  engineer,  to  the  Eiffel  reef.  We  were 
tempted  to  follow  the  track.  Early  the  next  morning 
we  started,  but  had  proceeded  only  a  few  hundred 
yards  when  we  observed  a  small  outcrop  of  quartz,  a 
piece  of  which  had  been  broken  off  by  tlie  wagon 
wheel.  Hawes  was  in  the  habit  of  picking  up  bits  of 
quartz,  licking  them  with  his  tongue,  and  looking  for 
indications  of  visible  gold.    On  examining  the  chunk 


THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS  161 

knocked  off  by  the  wagon,  lie  found  to  his  exultant 
joy  that  it  was  covered  with  gold.  His  excitement 
was  tremendous.  He  slapped  me  on  the  back,  and 
triumphantly  exclaimed,  ''^  Brown^  we^re  made  men  !  " 
We  hurried  back  to  camp,  got  a  pick  and  shovel,  and 
worked  all  da}^  with  the  enthusiasm  of  boys  making 
play -holes  in  a  sand-bank.  We  dug  several  deep 
trenches,  but  by  night  gave  up  in  despair ;  for  we 
could  find  nothing  more  than  a  small  "stringer"  of 
quartz  about  an  inch  wide. 

The  next  morning  we  breakfasted  early  (on  boiled 
rice  and  dried  meat  cooked  on  the  coals),  and  again  set 
out  to  follow  the  wagon  trail,  determined  to  do  no  more 
loitering  along  the  road.  Hawes  was  armed  with  a  pros- 
pecting hammer,  and  I  carried  a  Martini-Henry  rifle, 
which  was  my  constant  companion,  both  day  and  night. 
It  was  the  first  day  of  January,  1891.  The  sky  was 
overcast  with  heavy  clouds ;  the  atmosphere  was 
damp,  and  the  day  warm.  We  tramped  all  the  fore- 
noon, thinking  every  moment  that  we  should  over- 
take the  wagon.  Much  of  the  country  through  which 
we  travelled  was  covered  with  enormous  ant-heaps  and 
thick  jungle. 

In  some  places  the  tsetse  flies  were  exceedingly 
troublesome,  even  biting  through  our  clothing.  It  was 
three  o'clock  before  we  arrived  at  the  end  of  the 
wagon  track.  There  we  found  Mr.  Robert  Jameson 
and  Mr.  W.  K.  Stier,  camped  at  what  was  then  consid- 
ered the  richest  gold-field  yet  discovered.  They  were 
evidently  astonished  at  seeing  us,  but  with  the  usual 
hospitality  of  the  frontier,  they  set  forth  an  excellent 
dinner  of  wild  meat,  bread  baked  in  the  ashes,  and 
stewed  canned  potatoes.  As  we  were  by  this  time 
ravenously  hungry,  we  were  exceedingly  thankful  for 
what  we  received.    They  showed  us  some  of  the  neigh- 


152  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

boring  reefs,  and  our  eyes  actually  bulged  with  aston- 
ishment at  the  quantities  of  visible  gold  which  the 
quartz  contained. 

Not  realizing  how  late  in  the  day  it  was,  we  turned 
our  faces  toward  camp,  which  was  fully  twelve  miles 
away.  I  considered  myself  an  expert  at  taking  di- 
rections, and  as  the  wagon  had  followed  a  round- 
about course,  I  decided  to  make  a  short  cut.  The 
Eiffel  district  is  on  a  plain  to  the  north  of  a  range 
of  hills  running  westward  from  Concession  Hill.  I 
thought  by  getting  on  top  of  this  range  and  sighting 
an  isolated  peak  which  we  called  Lone  Kop,  situated 
on  the  level  plain  to  the  south  of  the  ridge,  that  I 
could  get  my  bearings  from  there,  and  that  we  could 
then  go  straight  to  our  camp  by  a  much  shorter  route. 

As  I  gained  the  summit,  I  was  surprised  to  see  an- 
other row  of  hills  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond 
us.  We  made  for  that,  but  a  tremendously  heavy  rain 
set  in,  and,  although  we  had  good  waterproof  coats 
with  us,  and  took  shelter  under  the  trees,  we  never- 
theless became  drenched  to  the  skin  by  the  water  which 
ran  down  our  necks.  The  heavy  storm  lasted  for  half 
an  hour.  Upon  reaching  the  highest  part  of  the  sec- 
ond divide,  I  was  still  more  surprised  to  find  another 
beyond  it.  We  surmounted  the  third,  and  then  an- 
other before  we  sighted  the  Lone  Kop.  Thus  there 
were  four  ranges  instead  of  one,  as  I  had  supposed. 
We  were  much  relieved  at  seeing  Lone  Kop,  for  we 
now  had  our  bearings  exactly,  and  knew  that  we  were 
only  six  miles  from  camp. 

It  was  growing  dusk,  and  as  the  jungle  was  difficult 
to  travel  through  on  account  of  rocks  and  ant-heaps, 
as  well  as  a  thick  growth  of  grass,  bushes,  and  trees, 
we  determined  to  rfemain  where  we  were  for  the  night. 
John  had  managed  to  keep  his  box  of  matches  dry, 


THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS  153 

and  we  attempted  to  kindle  a  fire.  But  everything 
had  become  so  thoroughly  saturated  with  water  that 
we  could  find  nothing  dry  enough  to  burn,  and  we 
used  match  after  match  in  vain.  Just  as  John  struck 
the  last  match,  a  lion  gave  a  tremendous  roar  a  short 
distance  to  our  left.  Needless  to  say,  the  light  im- 
mediately went  out.  The  first  roar  was  followed  by 
one  on  the  opposite  side,  and  then  another  not  far 
from  that.  John  said  he  didn't  like  the  sound,  and 
proposed  that  we  climb  into  a  tree  and  stay  there  the 
remainder  of  the  night. 

For  some  unaccountable  reason  I  had  come  to  believe 
that  the  king  of  beasts  will  not  disturb  man  except 
when  wounded,  and  at  that  time  I  had  not  the  slightest 
fear  of  lions.  Subsequent  observation  has  taught  me 
the  error  of  my  belief.  I  did  not  like  the  idea  of 
spending  the  night  in  a  tree,  as  we  were  already  wet 
to  the  skin,  and  shivering  with  cold.  We  therefore 
set  out  for  our  camp,  Hawes  leaving  it  to  me  to  lead 
the  way. 

It  was  a  long  and  dreary  tramp.  Many  times  we 
got  into  thickets  so  dense  and  dark  that  we  had  to  feel 
with  our  hands.  Often  we  ran  up  against  a  big  tree  or  an 
ant-heap,  and  were  obliged  to  turn  back  and  grope  our 
way  around  the  obstacle.  We  trudged  on  and  on, 
Hawes  never  uttering  a  word  of  complaint.  For  this  I 
was  very  grateful ;  for  there  is  nothing  more  distracting, 
when  in  an  uncomfortable  plight,  than  to  be  accom- 
panied by  a  grumbling  companion.  When  we  had 
covered  about  three  miles  along  the  range  of  hills,  we 
discovered  to  our  joy  a  gap  through  which  we  went  to 
the  opposite  side.  We  now  found  ourselves  in  a  wide 
valley,  which  we  undertook  to  cross ;  but  presently 
we  came  to  the  edge  of  a  broad  sheet  of  water  that  I 
had  not  expected  to  see.    The  heavy  rain  had  sent 


154  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 

sucli  an  enormous  quantity  of  water  down  the  valley, 
that  the  narrow  outlet  was  not  sufficiently  wide  to 
carry  it  through  ;  thus  a  large  pond  had  been  formed. 
I  felt  sure  that  we  were  going  in  the  right  direction, 
so  we  decided  to  cross,  and  waded  in,  for  better 
or  for  worse.  Several  times  we  got  into  depressions 
up  to  our  necks,  and  we  thought  we  should  never  get 
through.  This  sheet  of  water  was  really  about  six 
hundred  feet  wide — but  it  seemed  a  mile — and  we 
were  much  relieved  when  at  last  we  landed  on  the 
other  side. 

In  crossing,  my  attention  had  been  taken  from  our 
surroundings,  so  that  I  felt  somewhat  puzzled  now 
as  to  our  exact  location.  We  therefore  decided 
to  stay  where  we  were  until  the  moon  should  rise, 
and,  although  it  was  cloudy,  make  it  sufficiently 
light  for  us  to  regain  our  bearings.  The  lions  had 
ceased  roaring  shortly  after  we  had  left  the  place 
where  we  had  attempted  to  make  a  fire,  and  they  had 
gone  completely  out  of  our  minds.  We  lay  down 
on  the  grass  close  to  the  water's  edge,  and,  soaked 
as  we  were,  went  to  sleep,  although  the  midges  and 
mosquitoes  tormented  us  considerably,  and  the  frogs 
made  such  a  din  as  one  hears  coming  from  a  boil- 
er factory  where  hundreds  of  hammers  are  beating 
rivets. 

I  have  no  idea  how  long  we  slept,  whether  it  was 
one  hour  or  several.  Eventually  we  were  awakened 
by  the  roaring  of  lions  just  across  the  water,  in  the 
direction  whence  we  had  come.  I  thought  noth- 
ing of  it,  and  presumed  they  had  happened  there  by 
accident,  but  it  is  possible  that  they  had  followed 
our  spoor,  and  upon  losing  it  at  the  edge  of  the  water 
had  given  vent  to  their  disappointment  by  roaring. 
However  this  may  be,  it  was  doubtless  Just  as  well 


THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS  155 

for  US  tliat  we  did  not  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep  before 
crossing  the  pond.  The  moon  had  now  risen,  so 
that  it  was  light  enough  for  us  to  continue  toward 
camp.  We  travelled  along  the  south  slope  of  the 
divide,  while  the  lions  proceeded  in  the  same  direc- 
tion on  the  opposite  side,  keeping  up  a  continual 
roaring. 

Finally  we  reached  our  hut,  the  lions  having  passed 
it  within  five  hundred  yards  only  a  few  minutes  pre- 
viously. Our  boys,  who  were  sleeping  soundly,  ap- 
parently quite  unconcerned  as  to  our  fate,  got  up  and 
rubbed  their  eyes,  blew  the  embers  of  the  fire  into  a 
blaze,  and  proceeded  leisurely  to  remove  the  barricade 
of  poles  at  the  doorway,  that  we  might  enter.  They 
stewed  a  pot  of  rice  for  us,  of  which  we  partook, 
while  listening  all  the  time  to  the  roaring  of  the  lions, 
growing  fainter  and  fainter  as  they  continued  their 
course  in  the  direction  of  Hartley  Hills.  It  was  nearly 
dawn  when  we  fell  asleep. 

The  morning  after  our  nocturnal  tramp  we  felt 
much  fatigued,  and  did  not  rise  as  early  as  usual.  By 
nine  o'clock,  however,  we  had  packed  our  blankets 
and  other  belongings,  and  started  for  the  Eilfel  reef. 
At  midday  we  stopped  to  cook  some  dried  meat.  As 
we  had  used  all  our  matches  the  night  before,  it  was 
necessary  for  the  natives  to  make  a  fire  by  the  most 
primitive  method  in  existence — that  of  rubbing  two 
sticks  together.  A  stick  about  a  foot  long  was  shaved 
flat  on  one  side.  At  the  middle  of  the  flat  surface  a 
small  conical  hollow  was  gouged  out,  from  which  a 
groove  was  made  extending  over  the  side.  Holding 
the  flattened  stick  to  the  ground  with  his  knees,  Abe 
Lincoln  then  took  a  round  one  about  the  size  of  a  lead 
pencil  which  Thomas  Jelferson  had  sharpened  at  one 
end.    Placing  the  sharpened  end  into  the  notch,  Abe 


156  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 

rolled  the  stick  rapidly  between  his  hands,  and  thus 
ground  out  dust,  which  began  to  smoke  as  it  travelled 
down  the  groove  to  some  dry  tinder.  The  skilfully 
directed  breath  of  George  Washington  soon  fanned 
the  smoking  dust  into  a  blaze,  and  our  dinner  of 
broiled  venison  was  quickly  served. 

In  the  meantime  Thomas  Jefferson  had  discovered 
a  bees'  nest  in  a  small  ant-heap  near  by,  and  our  three 
dusky  companions  feasted  on  the  milky  juice  of 
the  tender  young  bees  in  the  comb.  Judging  from 
the  way  in  which  they  smacked  their  lips,  it  must 
have  been  a  delicious  feast.  In  fact,  Mashonas 
usually  seem  more  eager  for  the  larvae  than  for  the 
honey. 

We  spent  a  week  at  prospecting  in  the  Eiffel  district, 
and  finally  concluded  that  there  were  only  two  blocks 
of  ground  unpegged  which  were  worth  taking.  One 
promised  great  possibilities,  while  the  indications  of 
the  other  were  only  fair.  When  put  to  the  test  human 
nature  will  assert  itself,  hence  it  was  that  when  the 
question  of  the  ownership  of  the  claims  arose,  John 
suggested  that  the  fairest  way  of  settling  the  matter 
would  be  to  toss  for  the  choice  ;  but  I  told  him  that  I 
could  not  see  it  that  way,  as  at  the  beginning  he  had 
promised  to  let  me  choose  first. 

John  had  often  warned  me  with  regard  to  the  greedi- 
ness of  speculators,  and  had  pointed  out  that  one 
should  be  well  on  his  guard  when  they  are  examining 
a  property  with  a  view  to  purchasing.  If  they  came 
to  buy  mines  from  me,"  he  said,  ''and  I  found  they 
were  trying  to  get  the  best  of  me,  I  should  let  them 
pick  out  the  quartz  and  do  the  panning,  but  the  crush- 
ing I  should  do  myself.  A  fellow  should  always  carry 
a  few  small  pieces  of  rich  ore  in  his  pocket,  and  when 
the  speculators  were  not  looking,  I  would  drop  a  piece 


THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOE  CLAIMS  157 

into  the  mortar.  That  would  fix  it  so  they  wouldn' t 
get  the  best  of  me." 

On  this  occasion,  John  said  to  me,  * '  Well,  if  you  don' t 
want  to  toss  for  the  thing,  it  doesn't  make  any  dif- 
ference anyway  ;  but  that  ground  you  want  isn't  half 
as  rich  as  you  think  it  is.  I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do. 
We'll  go  down  and  get  some  quartz  from  both  blocks, 
and  pan  it ;  then  you  can  see  for  yourself."  This  we 
agreed  to.  John  set  me  to  work  at  crushing,  while  he 
did  the  panning ;  but  he  did  not  let  me  see  the  results. 
He  simply  gave  a  verbal  report  on  what  he  was  find- 
ing, which  was  decidedly  better  concerning  the  ground 
he  did  not  want  than  that  which  he  did. 

Alongside  the  stone  on  which  I  was  pounding  up  the 
ore  was  some  very  rich  rock.  John' s  advice  with  re- 
gard to  speculators  occurred  to  me,  and  believing  that 
he  was  not  playing  fair  with  me  and  was  bent  upon 
having  the  best  ground  regardless  of  our  prior  agree- 
ment, I  yielded  to  temptation.  Having  done  so,  I 
watched  him  out  of  the  corner  of  my  eye,  and  soon  saw 
that  he  was  becoming  terribly  excited.  He  stopped 
talking  and  began  looking  intently  into  the  pan,  shak- 
ing it  again  and  again.  When  he  returned  for  another 
crushing  of  the  same  kind,  I  said  to  him,  "Well,  John, 
how  is  it  turning  out  now  ? "  He  answered  in  the  most 
unconcerned  manner,  "Oh,  a  slight  trace  —  fair  to 
middling,  but  nothing  particular  to  speak  of." 

He  panned  a  few  times  more,  and  then  said,  "  Well, 
considering  that  you  are  young  and  inexperienced, 
and  are  of  opinion  that  you  have  a  right  to  the  first 
choice,  I  suppose  that  I  had  better  let  you  have  it."  I 
took  it,  and  John  went  to  the  other  reef  and  loaded 
himself  down  with  quartz,  which  he  carried  to  Hartley 
Hills,  to  pan  when  he  got  there.  I  never  asked  him 
how  it  turned  out,  and  he  never  said  anything  about 


158  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

it.  I  mention  this  incident  solely  to  show  what  a  de- 
moralizing influence  the  search  for  gold,  and  the  chance 
of  suddenly  becoming  the  possessor  of  a  fortune,  often 
has  over  men — even  when  the  best  of  friends,  and  in 
the  ordinary  walks  of  life  straightforward  and  upright 
in  their  dealings — in  quickly  leading  them  from  the 
paths  of  strict  rectitude.  As  a  just  retribution,  neither 
of  us  has  ever  realized  a  cent  out  of  those  claims. 

We  next  crossed  to  the  Mondetonga  district,  where 
Hawes  located  two  blocks  of  ground  on  a  reef  which 
he  called  the  Etna,  and  I  staked  a  half  block  more, 
and  named  it  the  Maryland  property.  This  done  we 
returned  to  Hartley  Hills  to  remain  until  the  excessive 
rains  should  cease. 

During  that  season  the  men  at  Hartley  spent  much 
of  their  time  in  grinding  mealies  and  Kafir  corn  in 
a  hand-mill.  Many  had  laid  in  a  goodly  supply  of 
honey,  so  that  when  our  Boer  meal  and  sugar  gave 
out,  we  had  corn-meal  mush  and  honey,  as  well  as 
beans,  rice,  pumpkins,  and  biltong.  We  were  later 
reduced  almost  entirely  to  pumpkins  and  rice,  which 
the  natives  in  the  neighborhood  gave  us  in  exchange 
for  empty  brass  cartridge  cases. 

Owing  to  the  want  of  nourishing  food,  as  well  as  to 
the  unhealthfulness  of  the  climate,  not  a  few  cases  of 
malarial  fever  appeared  in  camp  during  February. 
Toward  the  end  of  the  month  a  wagon-load  of  Pio- 
neers and  prospectors,  some  sick  with  fever,  started 
for  Salisbury.  They  had  a  difficult  time  in  going 
through,  as  the  wagon  was  continually  getting  mired 
in  the  soft  ground. 

By  the  middle  of  March  food  had  become  so  scarce 
that  I  decided,  in  company  with  two  Pioneers,  named 
Birkley  and  Colquhoun,  to  tramp  to  Salisbury.  Birk- 
ley  was  just  recovering  from  an  attack  of  fever,  and 


THE  GOLD  FEVER,  AND  A  HUNT  FOR  CLAIMS  159 

could  not  travel  rapidly.  We  aimed  to  reach  a  village 
each  night,  where  we  could  obtain  food  and  shelter. 
It  was  the  longest  trip  I  made  barefooted — sixty  miles 
— but  as  I  had  been  without  shoes  for  a  month  my 
feet  had  become  well  toughened,  and  I  did  not  mind 
it.  The  country  was  so  swampy  that  it  was  by  far 
the  best  way  to  travel,  for  we  were  obliged  to  wade 
almost  continuously  through  water  and  mud.  Birk- 
ley  wore  a  pair  of  top-boots,  but  suffered  intensely 
from  the  blisters  that  they  made.  On  our  way  we  met 
Orr  and  Alexander,  returning  to  Hartley  with  some 
provisions.  They  had  a  span  of  oxen  dragging  a 
sled,  which  at  that  time  could  be  drawn  more  easily 
than  a  wagon.  Before  we  reached  the  Hanyani  River, 
Birkley  had  another  attack  of  fever,  which  somewhat 
retarded  our  progress.  At  the  Hanyani  we  found  a 
number  of  wagons  outspanned,  and  one  of  the  men,  al- 
though a  stranger,  invited  us  to  take  supper  with  him. 
It  was  the  first  square  meal  we  had  had  for  months. 

On  March  15th,  weary  and  travel-worn,  we  arrived 
at  Fort  Salisbury.  The  rainy  season  was  now  ended, 
over  fifty  inches  of  rain  having  fallen  between  October 
10,  1S90,  and  March  15,  1891.  This  was  nearly  double 
the  ordinary  amount  of  rainfall  in  Mashonaland.  In 
fact,  it  was  an  extraordinarily  wet  season  throughout 
South  Africa. 

We  met  many  friends  who  were  glad  to  see  us,  some 
of  whom  were  sporting  new  ''ammunition  boots" 
(English-army  shoes),  of  which  they  seemed  exceeding- 
ly proud.  Unfortunately  the  supply  was  exhausted, 
and  we  were  unable  to  purchase  any  for  ourselves. 
We  were  given  a  respectable  supper  of  beef-soup  and 
beefsteak  pie,  but  scarcely  had  I  finished  eating  when 
I  was  seized  with  a  fit  of  ague,  and  in  a  trice  w^as  down 
with  fever.    The  change  from  Hartley  to  the  bracing 


160  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

altitude  of  Salisbury  seemed  to  bring  out  the  malaria 
with  which  my  system  had  become  saturated.  Chris- 
tofison,  who  had  also  returned  from  the  Umf uli  and 
was  living  by  himself  in  a  little  "wattle  and  daub" 
house  near  the  end  of  the  kopje,  kindly  invited  me 
to  stay  with  him.  The  fever  lasted  considerably 
over  a  week.  This  was  the  loneliest  experience  I 
have  ever  had.  My  host  was  absent  during  the  day, 
and  I  was  left  to  amuse  myself  by  cursing  the  time 
I  first  thought  of  visiting  such  a  forsaken  country. 
Dr.  Rand  dosed  me  with  some  horrible  medicine 
called  "  Rand's  Kicker  " — an  excellent  fever  mixture 
— which  soon  played  havoc  with  the  malarial  microbes. 
When  I  became  convalescent,  Christofison  supplied 
me  with  the  best  food  his  larder  contained,  but  I 
could  not  relish  it  greatly,  as  it  consisted  solely  of 
boiled  split  peas  and  dry  ship-biscuits. 


CHAPTER  XII 


SOME  HISTORIC  EVENTS 

A  Veritable  City  of  Tents  and  Wagons— Hardship,  Privation, 
and  Death— The  Stand-Pegging  "  Craze— Clash  with  the 
Portuguese  over  Umtali — Activity  Begins  at  Fort  Salis- 
bury— An  Unreliable  Gun — Some  Results  from  a  Reliable 
One — Journey  to  the  "  Fly  Country  " — Game  in  the  Eiffel 
District — Wild  Dogs — American  Experts  Examine  Gold- 
Mines — The  Town  of  Salisbury  is  Surveyed  and  Estab- 
lished—All the  Surrounding  Land  is  Staked  in  Farms — 
Mr.  Rhodes  Visits  Mashonaland — Reaction  and  Exodus — 
Dr.  Jameson  Becomes  Administrator — Organization  of  the 
Mashonaland  Horse. 

DuKmG  March  the  Pioneers  and  prospectors  from 
the  various  mining  districts  began  to  gather  at  Fort 
Salisbury.  Along  the  east  side  of  the  kopje  there  was 
a  veritable  city  of  tents  and  wagons.  The  only  build- 
ings thus  far  erected  besides  the  Police  barracks  and 
the  houses  at  the  ranch,  were  the  Administrator's 
quarters,  a  few  huts  belonging  to  Bird  and  Hunter,  a 
rectangular  hut  owned  by  Friday  Wallace,  and  Chris- 
tofison's  "wattle  and  daub"  house. 

Many  of  the  Pioneers  had  undergone  severe  priva- 
tions, and  for  months  had  subsisted  almost  entirely 
on  pumpkins  and  rice.  Some  were  greatly  emaciated, 
and  yellow  with  fever  and  the  results  of  exposure. 
Those  who  had  been  corpulent  presented  a  ludicrous 
picture,  the  fat  having  been  absorbed,  while  in  its 

11  161 


162 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


place  folds  of  wrinkled  skin  hung  down  from  their 
chins  and  necks,  giving  them  much  the  appearance  of 
thoroughbred  bull- dogs.  In  spite  of  hardships,  how- 
ever, there  were  few  deaths,  as  the  men  had  all  possessed 
healthy,  robust  bodies.  In  consequence  of  the  heavy 
rains,  there  had  been  no  communication  with  the 
outer  world  for  several  months,  and  although  trains 
of  wagons  loaded  with  provisions  had  been  despatched 
to  Mashonaland  by  way  of  Fort  Tuli,  the  flooded 
rivers  and  muddy  roads  had  delayed  them.  Hence, 
food  was  scarce  at  Fort  Salisbury,  and  the  little  there 
was  to  be  had  was  excessively  dear. 

Following  the  peaceable  occupation  of  the  country  in 
September,  1890,  a  rush  of  fortune-seekers  started  for 

golden  Mashonaland,"  travelling  with  ox-wagons, 
pack-donkeys,  carts,  on  foot — any  way  to  reach  the 
new  El  Dorado.  At  that  time  there  was  as  great  ex- 
citement in  South  Africa  over  Mashonaland  as  has 
been  experienced  lately  in  America  over  the  Klondike 
country.  People  went  blindly  forward,  ignorant  of 
what  lay  before  them  in  the  way  of  inclement  weather 
and  sickness.  Great  and  unexpected  hardships  were 
encountered.  Hundreds  who  were  delayed  by  the 
swollen  rivers  contracted  fever,  and  scores  were  buried 
by  the  roadside.  In  many  instances  men  who  began 
their  journey  at  the  close  of  the  rainy  season,  when 
the  floods  had  subsided  and  the  country  had  become 
dry,  were  able  to  overtake  and  pass  those  who  had 
started  months  before. 

In  June,  1891,  settlers  began  to  pour  into  Fort  Salis- 
bury, many  wagons  bearing  prospectors  representing 
syndicates  which  had  been  formed  for  exploring  the 
new  gold-fields.  Traders  who  came  with  goods  received 
fabulous  prices  for  them.  Candles  were  sold  for  ten 
shillings  per  packet  of  one-half  dozen.    Jam  and  other 


SOME  HISTOKIC  EVENTS 


163 


luxuries  brought  similar  returns.  Five  pounds  was 
not  an  uncommon  amount  offered  by  a  thirsty  soul 
for  a  bottle  of  brandy.  Auction  sales  were  instituted, 
at  which  all  sorts  of  odds  and  ends  were  disposed  of 
at  enormous  profit.  Not  a  few  who  arrived  at  Salis- 
bury were  so  disgusted  with  the  hardships  which  they 
had  endured  en  route,  that  they  at  once  returned  to 
the  Colony,  without  even  going  out  to  look  for  gold. 
The  vast  majority,  however,  began  to  wander  over  the 
country  in  search  of  fortunes. 

As  yet,  there  had  been  no  town  laid  out  by  the  Com- 
pany. In  fact,  a  site  had  not  been  decided  upon,  and 
there  was  some  talk  to  the  effect  that  it  would  prob- 
ably be  located  sixteen  miles  from  Fort  Salisbury, 
near  the  Mazoe  valley.  Notwithstanding  this,  the 
restlessness  of  the  settlers  and  the  eager  desire  to  ob- 
tajn  possessions  in  the  new  country  had  induced  many 
to  take  by  squatter's  rights"  the  ground  on  which 
they  were  camped,  pegging  off  town-lots,  or  stands  " 
as  they  are  called,  on  both  sides  of  what  was  soon 
designated  Pioneer  Street.  I  located  a  stand  of  one 
hundred  feet  frontage  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by 
Deary  &  Co's.  large  store  ;  and  as  soon  as  I  was  able 
to  get  about,  I  obtained  an  ax,  went  to  a  grove  near 
by,  and  began  cutting  poles  for  the  purpose  of  build- 
ing a  shelter  for  my  specimens,  which  I  wished  to 
fetch  from  Hartley  Hills.  It  was  my  desire  to  make 
the  specimens  secure  until  such  time  as  I  should  be 
able  to  forward  them  to  America.  Mr.  H.  C.  Moore, 
of  California,  kindly  offered  me  the  use  of  his  wagon 
and  oxen  for  hauling  the  timber,  and  in  a  short  time, 
by  working  between  spells  of  fever,  I  erected  two  quite 
respectable-looking  buildings.  In  one  of  these  a  fire- 
place was  constructed,  which,  barring  the  oven  at 
Brewin's  bake-shop,  was  the  first  built  in  Salisbury. 


164:  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


About  tlie  end  of  March  a  call  had  been  made  for 
Pioneers  to  go  to  Manicaland  in  order  to  occupy  that 
country.  An  additional  farm-right  was  offered  to 
volunteers,  as  well  as  other  inducements  in  the  way  of 
mining  claims.    And  thereby  hangs  a  tale. 

The  party,  composed  of  Dr.  Jameson,  Mr.  Colqu- 
houn,  Mr.  Selous  and  others,  which  it  will  be  remem- 
bered left  the  Pioneer  column  the  previous  August 
near  Fort  Charter,  had  proceeded  to  Manicaland,  and 
almost  simultaneously  with  the  arrival  of  the  main 
expedition  at  Salisbury,  had  obtained,  in  behalf  of  the 
British  South  Africa  Company,  a  concession  from  the 
paramount  chief,  Umtasa,  for  the  mineral  rights  of 
the  country.  At  this  same  time  a  corporation  known 
as  the  Mozambique  Company  was  pushing  forward 
a  claim  to  the  territory  from  the  Portuguese  side. 
Whether  or  not  Umtasa  had  granted  rights  to  the 
Portuguese,  as  well  as  to  the  English,  it  is  difficult  to 
determine  ;  certainly  it  is  within  the  limits  of  a  Kafir 
chiefs  idea  of  contract  to  sell  his  country  to  one  man 
one  day,  and  to  another  the  next. 

At  all  events,  shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  Admin- 
istrator at  Fort  Salisbury,  information  was  received 
that  two  Portuguese  officers,  Gouveia  and  Colonel  An- 
drada,  were  proceeding  to  Umtasa' s  village  with  the 
object  of  taking  possession  of  the  country.  Immedi- 
ately, Major  P.  W.  Forbes,  supported  by  not  more 
than  thirty  officers  and  Police,  was  despatched  to 
Manicaland.  Upon  arriving  at  Umtasa' s  he  found 
that  the  Portuguese  officers,  backed  by  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy  armed  negroes,  were  in  the  kraal 
holding  a  conference  with  the  chief.  The  English 
promptly  entered,  placed  the  two  Portuguese  lead- 
ers under  arrest,  and  proceeded  to  disarm  their  fol- 
lowers. 


SOME  HISTOKIC  EVENTS 


165 


There  was  such  consternation  among  the  retinue, 
that  most  of  them  fled  before  the  Police  were  able  to 
disarm  them.  Through  an  interpreter  the  English 
officers  pacified  Umtasa's  people,  who  naturally  were 
somewhat  agitated,  by  telling  them  to  take  neither 
side,  as  it  was  simply  a  quarrel  between  the  English 
and  the  Portugaese.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  was  Um- 
tasa's shrewd  wish  to  take  sides  with  the  victors, 
whomsoever  they  might  be  ! 

Major  Forbes  then  went  to  Massi  Kessi,  the  Portu- 
guese fort,  and  took  possession.  The  majority  of  the 
inhabitants  residing  in  the  neighborhood  of  Massi 
Kessi  at  that  time,  it  is  interesting  to  note,  were  Amer- 
ican and  English  gold-miners,  and  hence  not  unfriend- 
ly to  the  British  occupation  of  the  country.  A  few 
small  offices  under  the  Portuguese  were  filled  by 
Frenchmen  and  Italians.  At  the  head  of  an  army 
(composed  of  six  troopers  !)  Major  Forbes  now  boldly 
advanced  to  the  Pungwe  River,  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  distant,  and  was  on  the  point  of  embark- 
ing in  canoes  for  the  capture  of  Beira,  the  port  of  en- 
trance at  the  mouth  of  the  Pungwe,  when  he  was  over- 
taken by  a  messenger,  bearing  an  official  despatch 
ordering  him  back.  Although  armed  Portuguese 
were  garrisoned  at  Beira,  there  is,  nevertheless,  not 
the  slightest  doubt  that,  except  for  the  recall.  Major 
Forbes  and  his  six  troopers  would  have  captured  the 
town.  Immediately  following  the  recall,  the  Chartered 
Company  yielded  possession  of  Massi  Kessi,  that 
place  being  considered  the  frontier  boundary  of  the 
Portuguese  territory. 

Nettled  by  the  action  of  the  Chartered  Company  in 
taking  Manicaland,  the  Portuguese  made  prepara- 
tions to  send  a  force  to  drive  them  out.  To  resist  this 
force,  and  at  the  same  time  genuinely  to  possess  the 


166  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


country,  was  the  object  in  obtaining  Pioneer  volun- 
teers to  proceed  to  Unitali. 

In  the  early  part  of  May,  1891,  a  hundred  Portu- 
guese white  soldiers,  with  a  levy  of  four  hundred  blacks 
from  Angola,  arrived  at  Massi  Kessi.  Captain  Hey- 
man  with  fifty  Pioneers  and  Police  w^as  stationed  on 
Chua  Hill,  not  far  distant.  His  camp  was  visited  by 
a  Portuguese  officer,  who  informed  him  that  if  the 
British  South  Africa  Company  forces  were  not  with- 
drawn from  Manicaland  at  once,  he  would  proceed 
against  them  with  his  army.  The  Portuguese  had  with 
them  eleven  of  the  best  modern  machine-guns,  but 
upon  leaving  the  fort  the  next  morning  to  give  bat- 
tle to  the  small  force  upon  the  hill,  they  deemed  it 
unnecessary  to  encumber  themselves  with  those  really 
formidable  weapons.  With  a  body  of  five  hundred 
men,  one  hundred  of  them  white,  they  were  confident 
of  an  easy  victory  over  a  paltry  fifty  ragged  and  half- 
starved  frontiersmen. 

The  only  large  gun  the  English  had  was  a  seven- 
pounder,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Portuguese  officer's 
visit  this  was  concealed  by  a  stack  of  patrol  tents. 
When  the  enemy  approached  the  place  occupied  by 
Captain  Heyman,  firing  began.  The  Portuguese,  how- 
ever, with  their  modern  rapid-firing  rifies,  aimed  alto- 
gether too  high,  so  that  their  shots  passed  over  the 
heads  of  their  antagonists.  The  Pioneers  and  Police, 
armed  with  Martini-Henry  rifles,  made  great  havoc  in 
the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  and  w^hen  the  seven-pounder 
began  belching  forth  canister,  the  black  levies  from 
Angola  broke  ranks  and  fled,  and  the  white  soldiers 
soon  followed.  Massi  Kessi  was  abandoned,  and  Cap- 
tain Heyman's  army  of  fifty  reoccupied  the  fort  and 
secured  large  quantities  of  loot,  including  the  eleven 
machine-guns.     Later  on,  six  hundred  Portuguese 


SOME  HISTORIC  EVENTS 


167 


volunteers  were  sent  from  Lisbon  to  wage  war  against 
the  Chartered  Company,  but  in  the  meantime  a  set- 
tlement was  reached  between  the  Portuguese  and 
English  governments,  giving  to  the  Company  that 
portion  of  Manicaland  now  known  as  Umtali. 

It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  the  importance  to 
the  cause  of  progress  in  Southeastern  Africa  of  this 
bold  stroke  in  obtaining  Umtali.  A  beautiful  and 
healthful  land,  rich  in  minerals  and  in  agricultural 
resources,  has  thus  been  opened  for  settlement  by 
enterprising  pioneers  from  the  Cape  Colony,  the  British 
Isles,  and  Northern  Europe.  Had  the  Portuguese 
gained  the  victory,  the  country  would  have  been  oc- 
cupied largely  by  objectionable  Indian  traders,  as 
well  as  non-progressive  people  from  Southern  Europe  ; 
and  there  would  have  been  no  end  to  the  inconven- 
iences imposed  upon  colonists  passing  between  Rhode- 
sia and  the  coast,  and  of  impediments  to  the  transmis- 
sion of  merchandise.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that 
a  deal  has  not  been  made  with  Portugal  for  that  por- 
tion of  her  water-front  which  forms  a  barrier  between 
Mashonaland  and  the  sea.  We  can,  however,  rest  as- 
sured that  a  vigorous  active  race  will  not  for  many 
decades  submit  to  being  shut  up  in  the  interior,  a  long 
distance  from  a  seaport  of  its  own. 

But  we  must  return  to  Mashonaland,  and  the  year 
1891.  During  the  previous  season  prospecting  had  been 
confined  principally  to  the  Mazoe  valley,  Lo  Magondi' s, 
and  the  Umfuli  region,  but  many  of  the  more  ad- 
venturous now  went  farther  afield,  to  the  Mount  Dar- 
win district  and  to  the  Angwa  River.  I  mentioned 
previously  the  craze  in  Salisbury  for  pegging  stands. 
The  new  arrivals  continued  to  put  in  their  pegs  next 
to  the  earlier  ones  until  two  streets  were  formed,  which 
are  now  Pioneer  Street  and  Manica  Road.    Strange  to 


168  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

say,  however,  up  to  August  1st  there  was  no  move  on 
the  part  of  the  Chartered  Company  toward  laying  out 
a  town.  Meanwhile,  the  impatient  settlers  had  begun 
erecting  buildings  of  poles  and  thatch,  on  the  chance 
of  the  place  being  made  the  site  of  an  important  min- 
ing centre.  Only  a  few  farms  had  been  taken,  as  there 
was  so  much  country  to  choose  from  that  everybody  felt 
at  a  loss  to  know  where  to  locate.  It  had  likewise  been 
announced  that  no  farms  could  be  pegged  nearer  to 
Fort  Salisbury  than  six  miles. 

The  27th  of  July  saw  the  issue  of  the  first  newspa- 
per in  Mashonaland.  It  was  a  cyclostyle  sheet,  no 
printing-press  having  yet  arrived,  and  Mr.  W.  E.  Fair- 
bridge  was  the  enterprising  pioneer  editor.  The  pa- 
per was  known  as  the  MasTiona  Herald^  which  later 
became  the  Rhodesia  Herald^  and  it  still  lives  under 
the  supervision  of  the  same  editor. 

The  mails  that  came  in  at  the  close  of  the  rainy 
season  were  difficult  to  read,  for  they  had  been  im- 
mersed in  rivers  so  many  times  that  they  were  water- 
soaked  until  they  were  almost  unintelligible.  With 
them  came  word  from  the  authorities  of  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  that  they  wished  me  to  do  four 
months'  more  collecting  than  they  had  originally 
planned,  making  eight  months  altogether  of  time  that 
I  should  give  entirely  to  that  work. 

By  August  5th  I  had  completely  recovered  from 
my  attacks  of  fever ;  so  with  a  wagon  and  span  of 
oxen  I  started  out  to  spend  a  few  months  in  hunting, 
intending  also  to  bring  into  Salisbury  the  specimens 
which  I  had  left  at  Hartley.  I  had  recently  pur- 
chased a  new  express-rifle,  made  in  England  specially 
for  a  well  known  gun-dealer  of  Cape  Town.  Just 
now  I  found  to  my  utter  dismay  that  I  could  hit  no 
game  with  it,  and  began  to  fear  that  my  marksman- 


SOME  HISTOEIC  EVENTS 


169 


ship  had  deteriorated,  for  the  gun  had  been  recom- 
mended as  most  accurate.  Finally  matters  reached  a 
climax  when  one  day  I  brought  down  a  sable  antelope 
— the  finest,  by  the  way,  that  I  have  ever  killed,  as 
its  horns  measured  forty-five  inches.  It  was  standing 
at  a  distance  of  one  hundred  yards  when  I  fired.  I 
had  aimed  carefully  just  behind  the  shoulder,  and  the 
animal  dropped  in  its  tracks.  Upon  examination  I 
discovered  to  my  horror  and  disgust  that  the  bullet 
had  struck  underneath  the  ear  !  I  now  tested  the  gun 
at  a  target,  and  found  that  at  a  range  of  two  hundred 
yards  the  right  barrel  carried  exactly  three  feet  to  the 
right  of  the  mark,  while  the  left  carried  two  feet 
above  it. 

Falling  back,  then,  upon  my  old  Pioneer  rifle,  an 
Enfield,  the  next  bullet  fired,  which  was  at  a  tsessebe 
two  hundred  yards  distant,  went  through  the  lungs  of 
one  animal  and  struck  another  standing  beyond  it, 
breaking  both  femoral  bones  and  lodging  in  the  skin 
on  the  opposite  side.  Before  the  herd  escaped  I 
killed  a  third  antelope  with  another  shot.  The  next 
time  the  gun  was  used  it  brought  down  a  koodoo, 
and  a  few  days  later  followed  an  opportunity  to  use  it 
on  some  wild  boars  of  the  wart-hog  species.  As  we 
were  trekking  along  in  a  wagon  they  ran  across  the 
road.  I  seized  my  rifie  and  ran  down  to  the  place 
where  I  had  seen  the  hogs  enter  a  thicket,  and  came 
unexpectedly  within  fifty  yards  of  them.  One  quick- 
ly succumbed  to  the  first  shot,  and  I  sent  a  bullet 
through  a  second  as  he  was  running  away.  This 
caused  him  to  tumble  over,  but  he  immediately  re- 
gained his  feet  and  ran  on  again.  My  young  retriever 
dog.  Nap,  appeared  just  then,  having  broken  away 
from  the  boys  at  the  wagon.  He  at  once  took  up  the 
blood-spoor,  and  brought  the  pig  to  a  standstill  in 


lYO  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


a  direction  opposite  to  that  in  which  he  liad  started. 
I  ran  to  the  place  and  found  the  boar  sitting  on  his 
haunches,  grunting  at  the  dog,  while  the  latter  was 
jumping  about  barking  at  him  furiously.  Eventually 
the  animal  would  have  died  of  his  wounds,  but  I  sent  a 
bullet  into  his  head  and  finished  him  at  once.  These 
hogs  were  excellent  specimens,  having  magnificent 
tusks. 

On  this  journey  I  was  accompanied  by  a  Mr.  O'Con- 
nel.  In  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  times,  Mr. 
Arthur  Lea,  O'Connel,  and  I  had  formed  our  gold 
claims  into  a  ''syndicate"  for  the  purpose  of  devel- 
oping them.  We  left  the  wagon  and  oxen  at  Machia- 
ngombe's  village  in  charge  of  the  natives,  and  engaged 
a  gang  of  Mashonas — one  lot  to  help  O'Connel  in  shaft 
sinking,  and  in  carrying  material  and  provisions  into 
the  "fly  country,"  and  the  other  to  assist  me  in  my 
hunting  and  collecting.  We  proceeded  to  the  Eiffel 
district,  where  my  companion  went  into  camp  close  to 
the  reef  I  had  pegged  in  January.  A  number  of  mi- 
ners were  scattered  over  this  region,  developing  their 
claims — that  is,  sinking  shafts  to  a  depth  of  thirty  feet 
and  cutting  through  the  reefs,  a  requirement  imposed 
by  the  mining  laws  of  that  date.  Some  of  the  pros- 
pectors had  already  gone  beyond  the  Umsweswi  Riv- 
er toward  Matabeleland,  as  far  as  the  banks  of  the 
Umnyati. 

I  established  my  camp  near  a  water-hole,  which  was 
the  only  spot  for  miles  around  where  game  could 
drink  ;  hence  numbers  of  animals  were  attracted  there. 
I  have  never  seen  guinea-fowls  more  plentiful,  and 
every  evening  hundreds  of  them  came  flocking  down 
to  the  pool  for  water,  so  that  I  almost  fancied  I  might 
knock  them  over  with  a  club.  Still  they  were  such 
active,  restless  creatures,  that  it  was  more  difficult  to 


SOME  mSTOKIC  EVENTS 


171 


kill  them,  even  with  the  rifle,  than  I  imagined.  Wart- 
hogs  were  there  in  great  numbers  ;  and  my  natives 
participated  in  feasts  such  as  they  had  probably  never 
enjoyed  before.  There  were  ostriches  also  on  the  open 
flats,  between  the  patches  of  bush. 

The  finest  eland  bull  that  I  have  ever  killed  fell  to 
my  rifle  at  that  place.  Early  one  morning  I  espied 
him  walking  leisurely  through  the  bushes.  Stalking 
within  seventy  yards,  I  gave  him  a  shot  behind  the 
shoulder,  which  started  him  off  at  a  brisk  trot.  As 
he  was  running  away  I  sent  another  bullet  after  him, 
which  struck  about  midway  along  his  ribs.  My  na- 
tives gave  chase  with  their  assegais,  but  the  eland 
was  so  large  and  fat,  and  so  badly  wounded,  that 
he  soon  came  to  a  standstill.  I  then  ran  up  and 
despatched  him  with  a  shot  in  the  head.  He  was 
exactly  six  feet  in  height  at  the  shoulders,  and  from 
the  ground  to  his  brisket  the  distance  was  two  feet 
eight  inches.  He  had  a  girth  of  body  behind  the 
shoulders  of  eight  feet,  and  the  girth  of  his  neck  was 
five  feet.  He  was  a  magnificent  animal,  in  excellent 
condition,  and  his  meat  tasted  more  nearly  like  beef 
than  any  game  meat  I  had  ever  eaten.  It  is  no  won- 
der that  in  England  the  use  of  the  eland  as  a  meat- 
producing  animal  has  been  seriously  considered. 

There  were  many  wild  dogs  {Lycaon  mnaticics)  in 
the  neighborhood.  One  evening  just  at  sundown,  to 
our  great  astonishment,  a  koodoo  rushed  up  to  our 
camp,  and  stopped.  He  was  evidently  seeking  protec- 
tion from  the  wild  dogs  which  were  chasing  him. 
Three  of  them  were  at  his  heels,  and  when  the  koodoo 
came  to  a  standstill,  they  halted  just  beside  him,  with 
their  tongues  lolling  out,  making  no  attempt  to  take 
hold  of  him.  I  ran  to  our  skerm  for  my  rifle,  but 
before  I  could  get  it,  the  antelope  was  off  again  in 


172  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 

the  bushes,  followed  by  a  pack  of  about  thirty 
wild  dogs,  and  also  by  our  entire  gang  of  natives, 
armed  with  assegais  and  clubs.  I  pursued  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  hunt,  and  saw  one  of  the  pack  running 
through  the  bushes  at  right  angles  to  the  course  of  the 
quarry.  Farther  on  I  noticed  others  going  in  the  same 
direction,  evidently  with  intent  of  cutting  off  the  koo- 
doo, which  shortly  reappeared,  having  completed  a  cir- 
cle. It  was  too  dark,  however,  to  shoot  any  of  the 
brutes,  as  I  would  gladly  have  done. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  antelopes  to  circle 
round  a  camp  for  protection.  When  an  animal  has 
been  chased  to  exhaustion,  the  dogs  set  upon  it  and 
tear  it  to  pieces.  Several  times  I  have  heard  small 
antelopes  bleating  when  they  were  being  thus  tor- 
tured ;  and  it  was  most  pitiful  to  hear  them.  That 
night  we  heard  the  dogs  eating  the  koodoo,  and  mak- 
ing a  great  fuss  over  it.  All  we  could  get  the  next 
morning  was  the  horns.  One  night,  two  weeks  later, 
we  heard  hyenas  and  wild  dogs  quarrelling  over  a  roan 
antelope  which  the  latter  had  killed.  I  was  anxious  to 
get  out  early  the  next  morning  in  order  to  shoot  some 
of  these  merciless  creatures,  but  my  natives  got  ahead 
of  me.  I  attempted  to  stop  them  by  shouting,  but  my 
efforts  were  futile.  Running  to  the  place  as  quickly  as 
possible,  I  found  that  the  savages  had  already  driven 
the  dogs  away,  and,  hyena-like,  were  quarrelling  with 
one  another  over  small  pieces  of  meat  and  useless 
strips  of  skin.  As  there  was  any  quantity  of  meat  at 
our  camp,  I  concluded  that  these  people  were  acting 
by  instinct  inherited  from  their  ancestors,  who  at  one 
time  doubtless  had  been  dependent  for  their  meat 
upon  what  they  could  steal  from  beasts  of  prey. 

Two  American  mining  "experts,"  Messrs.  Perkins 
and  Rolker,  in  company  with  Dr.  Jameson  and  Mr, 


SOME  HISTORIC  EVENTS 


173 


Beit,  while  on  a  tour  through  the  country,  came  one 
day  to  inspect  the  Eiffel  reef.  The  experts  seemed 
resolved  to  criticise  adversely  everything  they  ob- 
served in  the  way  of  gold.  I  saw  them  examining 
a  reef  which  was  eight  feet  in  width.  Three  feet  of 
each  side  was  composed  of  solid  quartz,  and  between 
the  two  layers  was  a  strip  of  soft  yellowish  sand- 
stone two  feet  wide  combined  with  chunks  of  ore 
full  of  visible  gold.  The  sandstone  was  also  mixed 
with  gold.  They  took  samples  only  from  the  solid  por- 
tions of  the  lode  which  averaged  35  pennyweight  of 
gold  to  the  ton  of  ore.  The  rich  central  portion  called 
"rotten  reef"  they  w^ould  not  take  into  account,  as 
they  did  not  consider  it  reef  proper,  and  said  it  would 
not  continue  deep  into  the  earth.  William  Hogers,  an 
American  prospector,  who  was  sinking  the  shaft,  said 
he  had  spent  a  good  many  years  on  the  gold-fields  of 
America  and  Australia,  but  that  these  were  the  first 
men  he  had  ever  met  who  were  so  gifted  with  the 
power  of  vision  that  they  could  see  exactly  what  lay 
beneath  the  ground  without  the  necessity  of  digging. 
He  was  of  opinion  that  the  rotten  reef  would  con- 
tinue down  as  well  as  the  other,  but  whether  it  did  or 
not,  the  gold  was  there,  and  ought  to  be  taken  into 
account  in  testing  the  value  of  the  mine.  At  another 
place,  about  five  hundred  feet  farther  on,  the  vein 
widened  out  to  twenty  feet.  There  were  here  six  feet  of 
solid  quartz  on  either  side,  and  eight  feet  of  rotten 
reef  between  the  solid  strata,  equally  as  rich  as  that 
portion  of  it  where  it  was  only  two  feet  in  widtli. 

I  obtained  a  lot  of  donkeys,  and  with  these  and  my 
carriers  was  able  to  take  to  Hartley  the  large  number 
of  specimens  that  I  had  collected  during  my  three 
month's  residence  in  the  Eiffel  district.  While  at 
Hartley  we  met  another  distinguished  gentleman, 


174  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


Lord  Randolph  Churchill,  at  that  time  making  his 
celebrated  journey  through  South  Africa. 

O'Connel  and  I  returned  to  Fort  Salisbury  in  the 
early  part  of  November ;  and  I  was  astonished  at 
the  progress  that  had  been  made.  Mud-houses  with 
thatched  roofs  were  to  be  seen  on  all  sides.  There 
were  two  respectable  brick  buildings,  and  several 
stores  and  hotels  had  been  opened.  The  Government, 
fearing  that  the  settlers  might  take  matters  into 
their  own  hands,  had  surveyed  a  town  site  near  the 
kopje.  A  public  auction  of  stands  had  been  held, 
and  a  few  around  the  market  square  had  been  sold  at 
£200  each.  I  was  disappointed  to  see  the  streets  laid 
out  very  narrow,  as  in  a  country  where  land  is  plenti- 
ful it  seemed  as  if  there  should  be  room  for  wide  thor- 
oughfares. The  stand  which  I  had  chosen  I  was 
pleased  to  discover  was  situated  in  a  desirable  part 
of  the  town. 

Dr.  Harris,  the  Secretary  of  the  Chartered  Company, 
having  arrived  at  what  was  now  Salisbury,  and  no 
longer  ''Fort"  Salisbury,  had  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  country,  and  instituted  new  regulations. 
He  announced  that  anybody  and  everybody  could  lo- 
cate farms  anywhere  and  everywhere  within  three  miles 
of  the  fort,  on  condition  of  bona-fide  occupation.  The 
territory  adjacent  to  native  villages  was  of  course 
excepted,  and  the  land  immediately  surrounding  the 
town  was  to  be  left  for  a  commonage.  The  coun- 
try was  therefore  pegged  into  farms  for  miles,  where 
three  months  earlier  all  had  been  unpossessed.  Many 
of  the  Pioneers  had  already  disposed  of  their  farm- 
rights.  In  fact,  more  than  one-half  these  rights  were 
even  then  in  the  hands  of  commercial  syndicates  ;  and 
therefore,  in  consideration  of  the  expense  and  difficulty 
companies  would  have  in  securing  men  to  live  on  these 


SOME  HISTOEIC  EVENTS 


175 


farms,  the  occupation  clause  had  been  removed  from 
the  Pioneer  rights.  Each  of  the  Company's  Police 
troopers  was  entitled  to  a  farm  similar  in  size  to  that 
of  a  Pioneer,  but  occupation  was  required. 

Considerable  excitement  had  been  caused  by  a 
threatened  trek  into  the  country,  of  Boers  from  the 
Transvaal,  who  had  intended  to  take  possession  of 
what  was  now  a  part  of  Mashonaland,  the  Banyai 
district.  These  had  been  checked  at  the  Crocodile 
River  by  some  of  the  British  South  Africa  Company 
Police,  supported  by  the  Bechuanaland  Border  Police  ; 
also  by  protests  from  President  Kruger. 

Mr.  Cecil  Rhodes  was  now  in  Salisbury  on  a  flying 
visit,  the  first  he  had  made  to  Mashonaland.  He  did 
not  remain  long,  but  while  there  he  was  waited  upon 
by  a  delegation  from  the  public,  demanding  certain 
reforms  and  redress  of  grievances,  the  chief  of  which 
was  the  fifty  per  cent,  of  mining  interests  claimed  by 
the  Chartered  Company.  No  advantages  were  gained 
on  the  part  of  the  public,  and  most  of  the  leaders  of 
the  agitation  left  the  country,  some  of  them  saying 
that  there  would  be  time  enough  to  begin  operations 
in  business  enterprises  when  a  railway  to  Salisbury 
should  have  been  completed. 

August,  September,  and  October  had  seen  great 
activity,  not  only  in  Salisbury  and  Victoria,  but  over 
the  country  in  general.  But  the  tide  now  turned, 
and  an  exodus  began.  This  was  brought  about  prin- 
cipally by  the  failure  in  finding  the  fabulous  fortunes 
which  it  had  been  predicted  people  would  not  have  the 
slightest  difficulty  in  obtaining.  The  inclemency  of 
the  previous  rainy  season,  together  with  the  privations 
which  had  brought  on  sickness  and  discouragements, 
were  likewise  instrumental  in  turning  the  tide.  Even 
the  announcement  on  the  part  of  the  experts  that  the 


176  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

mines  had  not  been  sufficiently  developed  to  make  it 
possible  for  the  wisest  men  to  say  for  a  certainty  that 
the  gold-fields  were  fabulously  rich,  medium,  or  value- 
less, was  misinterpreted  as  meaning  the  last.  The 
faint-hearted  left,  and  in  the  reaction  people  went  to 
the  other  extreme  of  condemning  the  country  as  worth- 
less. Great  disappointment  was  also  experienced  in 
the  failure  to  open  and  to  operate  a  wagon-road  from 
the  East  Coast  to  Mashonaland.  The  difficulties  met  in 
attempting  this  enterprise  were  insurmountable. 

Toward  the  end  of  1891  Dr.  Jameson  began  the  du- 
ties of  Administrator  of  the  country.  According  to  the 
charter,  the  Company  was  required  to  keep  an  armed 
force  of  several  hundred  men  in  Mashonaland.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  all  the  inhabitants  were  armed,  and 
under  the  conditions  on  which  they  entered  the  coun- 
try, they  had  pledged  themselves  to  fight  in  behalf 
of  the  Chartered  Company  within  the  limits  of  its  ter- 
ritory. This,  however,  did  not  cover  the  ground  of 
the  demands  of  the  charter,  as  it  was  necessary  to 
have  soldiers  ready  for  action  upon  immediate  notice. 
The  various  troops  of  Police  constituted,  it  is  true, 
the  stipulated  number  of  armed  men  ;  but  the  main- 
tenance of  so  large  a  force  was  a  heavy  drain  on  the 
Company's  finances,  so  that  in  the  early  part  of  1892 
a  movement  was  set  on  foot,  ostensibly  by  the  citizens 
themselves,  for  the  formation  of  a  volunteer  corps. 
The  people  of  Salisbury  entered  into  the  undertaking 
with  enthusiasm,  and  a  force  was  organized  called 
the  Mashonaland  Horse.  As  usual,  the  volunteers 
had  the  choice  of  their  officers,  and  Major  Forbes, 
the  popular  and  able  leader,  was  elected  as  their 
commander.  The  men  were  equipped  with  rifles, 
uniforms,  horses,  and  saddles.  The  promise  of  hav- 
ing a  horse  to  ride  naturally  induced  many  to  join 


SOME  HISTOraC  EVENTS 


177 


who  might  otherwise  not  have  done  so.  I,  of  course, 
entered  into  the  movement  with  the  rest,  and  became 
a  volunteer.  The  members  continued  at  their  ordinary- 
pursuits,  and  were  called  out  only  on  special  occasions 
for  drills,  and  skirmish  practice  over  the  commonage. 
Times  were  lively  in  Salisbury  during  the  rainy  sea- 
son, especially  among  merchants,  on  account  of  the 
money  which  was  being  spent  in  the  place  by  the 
numbers  of  Police  who  were  stationed  there,  receiving 
monthly  wages  from  the  Chartered  Company.  And 
then  came  a  surprise  !  'No  sooner  was  the  volunteer 
force  well  organized,  than  to  the  consternation  of  the 
merchants,  most  of  whom  had  Joined  the  corps,  nearly 
all  the  Police  were  disbanded.  This  had  not  been 
counted  upon  by  the  public.  Many  of  the  discharged 
troopers  left  the  country,  and  as  "hard  times "  seemed 
imminnte,  the  merchants  complained  that  they  had 
been  duped. 


12 


CHAPTER  XIII 


THE  SEAMY  SIDE  OF  LIFE  AT  HARTLEY 

A  Journey  to  Hartley — The  New  Township— Matabele  Ras- 
cality— A  Buffalo  Hunt — The  Aborigines  and  Malarial 
Fever — A  Drinking  Bout  at  Hartley — Rats" — Marshall 
Sees  Spiders — Liquor  Versus  Malarial  Microbes. 

In  February,  1892,  I  left  Salisbury  in  company  with 
Mr.  William  Rogers,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
journey  to  the fly  country"  to  re-peg  some  claims 
which  we  had  located  there.  We  took  with  us  two 
donkeys,  but  no  Kafirs.  The  first  object  of  interest 
which  we  met  was  the  newly  constructed  telegraph  line, 
at  that  time  just  reaching  Salisbury.  We  found  the 
road  extremely  muddy,  but  after  two  days'  tramping  we 
arrived  at  one  of  Machia-ngombe' s  villages,  ruled  over 
by  a  chief  named  Umjojo.  Here  we  obtained  carriers, 
and  then  continued  our  journey  to  Hartley  Hills. 

At  Hartley  there  were  now  three  quartz-mills  run- 
ning, each  of  ten  stamps.  A  township  had  been  sur- 
veyed there,  and  the  Chartered  Company  authorities 
had  anticipated  a  boom  in  the  district,  and  a  con- 
sequent large  sale  of  stands.  Dr.  Frank  Rand  had 
been  officially  sent  from  Salisbury  to  investigate  as  to 
the  healthfulness  of  the  locality  ;  but  he  returned  with 
the  disappointing  report  that  any  man  who  should 
live  two  years  in  the  place  chosen  as  a  site  for  the 

178 


THE  SEAMY   SIDE  OF  LIFE  AT  HAKTLEY  I79 

township  would  at  the  end  of  that  time  ^^be  either 
dead  or  a  lunatic." 

Great  numbers  of  Matabeles  now  came  to  Mashona- 
land  seeking  work,  and  many  of  them  were  employed 
around  Hartley  at  the  batteries,  and  by  prospectors 
and  miners.  They  were,  however,  the  source  of  great 
annoyance,  as  their  propensities  for  downright  roguery 
and  thieving  led  them  to  commit  daring  depreda- 
tions. It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  a  prospect- 
or, while  travelling  through  the  wilderness  with  ten 
or  a  dozen  Matabele  carriers,  to  find  himself  robbed  of 
all  his  worldly  possessions,  and  deserted.  Pursuit  was 
impossible,  for  Lo  Bengula  allowed  no  white  man  to 
cross  the  Matabele  border.  There  had  also  been  some 
cases  of  attempted  murder,  one  of  which  was  of  espe- 
cial interest  to  gold-miners.  A  prospector  who  was 
sinking  a  shaft  near  the  Umnyati  River  had  two  Ma- 
tabeles working  at  the  windlass.  Having  placed  and 
lighted  a  charge  of  dynamite  at  the  bottom  of  the 
shaft,  he  called  to  the  boys  to  draw  him  up  ;  but  no 
response  came.  Luckily,  the  timbers  of  the  mine 
were  so  arranged  that  he  could  climb  out ;  but  when 
he  had  got  about  half  way  to  the  top,  one  of  the  Ma- 
tabeles peered  down,  saw  him  coming  up,  and  im- 
mediately threw  the  heavy  windlass  into  the  shaft. 
Fortunately,  it  only  grazed  the  man,  and  just  as  the 
dynamite  exploded  he  reached  the  top,  in  time  to  see 
his  two  employees  disappearing  into  the  bush  with  his 
gun,  blankets,  and  other  belongings.  Misdemeanors 
such  as  these  were  being  continually  committed  in 
the  year  1892. 

From  Hartley,  Rogers  took  his  course  down  the 
Umfuli,  while  I  journeyed  in  the  direction  of  the  Mom- 
bi  River.  I  had  with  me  as  carriers  three  Matabeles 
whom  I  found  at  Umjojo's  village,  and  four  Masho- 


ISO  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

nas,  two  of  them  sons  of  Umjojo.  About  midday  we 
arrived  at  the  place  where  John  Hawes  and  I  had 
found  traces  of  gold  along  the  wagon-spoor,  and  had 
spent  a  day  in  fruitless  digging.  There  I  saw  a  slate- 
colored  animal  standing  in  the  road  about  four  hun- 
dred yards  in  front  of  me,  and  the  boys  whispered 
'•Inyati,  inyati,"  which  in  the  Kafir  language  means 
buffalo.  It  was  the  first  live  specimen  of  that  species 
I  had  ever  seen.  As  I  fired,  the  animal  wheeled  and 
ran  into  the  bushes. 

The  natives  took  up  the  spoor,  and  soon  informed 
me  that  the  buffalo  was  wounded.  An  irregular  foot- 
print indicated  that  it  was  crippled  in  one  of  its  fore- 
legs, while  on  the  bushes  were  traces  of  blood.  We 
had  followed  the  spoor  about  half  a  mile  when  we 
came  to  a  wide  trail  through  the  grass,  which  had 
been  made  by  a  large  herd  of  buffaloes.  Just  then  a 
cold  rain  set  in,  but  we  tramped  along  the  trail  for 
several  miles,  through  countr}^  densely  covered  with 
bush.  Finally,  the  boys  became  tired  of  the  work,  as 
the  rain  was  continually^  beating  down  hard  on  their 
naked  skins,  and  the  Matabeles  were  shivering  with 
cold.  I  had  given  up  the  idea  of  overtaking  the 
troop,  and  was  just  on  the  point  of  levelling  my  rifle 
at  a  zebra  grazing  near  by,  when  one  of  the  Matabele 
guides,  pointing  across  a  meadow,  said,  in  a  subdued 
whisper,  ''Lwati,  inyati!'' 

About  thirty  buffaloes  were  travelling  along  like  a 
bunch  of  cattle.  They  soon  disappeared  in  the  bushes, 
so  we  made  for  the  place  where  we  had  last  seen  them, 
and  took  up  their  spoor.  A  few  hundred  yards  far- 
ther on  I  sighted  one  about  a  hundred  paces  from  me. 
Evidently  he  had  scented  us,  for  he  was  standing  still 
and  looking  intently  in  our  direction.  As  his  side  was 
exposed,  I  aimed  at  Ms  shoulder  with  my  Ballard  rifle. 


THE  SEAMY   SIDE   OF  LIFE  AT  HARTLEY  181 

and  fired.  Immediately,  we  heard  the  animals  stam- 
peding. We  were  able  to  follow  their  trail  at  a  swift 
trot,  as  they  had  beaten  down  the  grass  level  with 
the  ground  to  a  considerable  width.  They  must  have 
run  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before  stopping.  We  came 
to  a  spot  where  they  had  apparently  turned  to  look 
back,  but  they  had  walked  on  somewhat  scattered,  so 
that  the  spoor  was  more  difficult  to  trace.  Crossing  a 
wide  ravine,  I  saw  them  standing  in  a  grove  of  large 
trees,  and  taking  good  aim  at  a  fine  bull,  I  fired.  Off 
they  galloped  again,  but  very  shortly  afterward  we 
heard  a  bellow.  I  wanted  to  give  chase  in  order  to  see 
if  I  had  not  killed  one,  but  the  natives  said  that  I  had 
missed,  and  insisted  on  remaining  where  we  were, 
and  making  camp,  for  they  were  still  shivering  and  it 
was  beginning  to  grow  dark. 

The  Kafirs  built  a  makeshift  hut,  and  although  it  was 
uncomfortable  lying  on  the  wet  ground,  we  soon  went 
to  sleep.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  heard  ani- 
mals grazing  near  the  hut.  They  sounded  exactly  like 
cattle  biting  off  the  coarse  herbage,  and  now  and  again 
I  could  hear  one  low.  I  knew  that  the  buffaloes  had 
come  back,  so  I  slipped  out  and  crept  cautiously  down 
through  the  wet  grass  to  see  if  I  could  get  a  shot 
at  one.  The  intense  darkness  rendered  it  difficult 
to  distinguish  the  herd,  as  they  were  somewhat  be 
low  me,  and  under  some  large,  spreading  trees.  Pres- 
ently they  left  off  grazing,  for  they  had  discovered 
me.  Everything  was  perfectly  quiet.  I  tried  to  creep 
closer  to  them,  but  suddenly  there  was  a  tremen- 
dous snort  of  alarm  within  a  few  yards  of  me,  then  a 
rush  of  footsteps,  and  the  entire  drove  went  thunder- 
ing away  through  the  forest.  Following  the  spoor 
the  next  morning,  we  found  a  dead  buffalo  near  where  I 
had  fired  the  second  shot ;  and  one  boy,  Makommona, 


1S2  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 

forthwith  returned  to  his  village  for  niore  men  to 
carry  the  meat. 

That  night  the  three  Matabeles  were  sick  with  fever. 
I  did  not  feel  well  myself,  from  being  so  much  in  the 
wet  the  day  before ;  but  at  Hartley  I  had  obtained 
from  Dr.  Edgelow  a  small  bottle  of  medicine  which  he 
said  would  prevent  fever.  African  aborigines  are 
not,  as  some  people  think,  exempt  from  malaria. 
Their  power  of  resistance,  however,  is  greater  than 
that  of  Europeans.  It  is  a  peculiar  thing  that  natives, 
as  a  rule,  do  not  get  the  fever  in  the  locality  in  which 
they  reside,  but  on  visiting  a  district  some  distance 
from  their  homes,  they  seem  to  succumb  to  it  al- 
most as  quickly  as  white  men.  Possibly  their  systems 
are  accustomed  to  dealing  with  the  germs  in  one 
particular  place,  and  upon  visiting  another  neigh- 
borhood, they  come  in  contact  with  a  new  and  more 
vigorous  variety  of  malarial  microbes  which  get  the 
upper  hand  for  awhile. 

There  were  a  few  prospectors  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Hartley  dui'ing  that  rainy  season,  and  on  the  evening 
of  my  return  I  found  them  celebrating  the  intended 
departure  of  one  of  their  number,  who  had  come  in 
from  an  outlying  district  for  provisions,  and  had  laid 
in  a  large  supply  of  gin,  whiskey,  brand}^  and  other 
liquors  which  he  had  purchased  from  Weir's  store,  at 
that  time  the  only  store  in  the  district.  Hearing  much 
laughing  and  talking,  I  went  to  the  hut  whence  the 
sounds  proceeded,  and  found  half  a  dozen  men,  more  or 
less  under  the  influence  of  liquor.  On  a  table  in  the 
middle  of  the  room  stood  several  bottles  with  the  corks 
pulled.  Of  course,  the  owner  of  the  liquor  was  the  man 
upon  whom  were  showered  compliments,  and  on  this 
occasion  he  was  a  person  of  exceptional  distinction. 
One  of  the  party,  named  Skellum  (the  names  are 


THE  SEAMY   SIDE   OF  LIFE  AT  HAKTLEY  183 

fictitious,  as  I  desire  to  give  no  offence),  a  tough-look- 
ing Irishman,  had  gone  to  Weir's  store  that  afternoon 
and  had  purchased  a  bottle  of  Cape  brandy,  which  he 
had  left  with  his  mate,  Dishley.  In  the  midst  of 
the  conviviality  Dishley  appeared  in  front  of  the  hut, 
crying  out,  "Where's  my  Skellum?  Oh,  Skellum, 
Skellum !  Why  did  you  go  off  and  leave  me?" 
Dishley  had  consumed  the  entire  bottle  of  Cape 
brandy  left  behind  by  Skellum,  and  had  started  out 
in  search  of  more,  but  upon  discovering  the  loss 
of  his  power  of  co-ordinated  action,  he  had  begun  to 
call  on  Skellum  for  help.  The  party  immediately 
Jumped  to  their  feet,  and  rushed  out  to  render  as- 
sistance to  Dishley,  who  had  tumbled  down  on  the 
ground  and  lay  there  helplessly  rolling  about.  Care- 
fully lifting  him,  they  proceeded  to  carry  him  back 
to  his  hut,  at  the  same  time  doing  a  tremendous 
amount  of  arguing  as  to  how  the  patient  ought  to  be 
handled. 

One  who  was  a  little  more  sober  than  the  rest, 
named  Plimmer,  remained  behind.  He  said  he 
thought  there  would  be  enough  of  them  to  put  Dish- 
ley to  bed  without  his  assistance ;  besides,  he  never 
liked  to  mix  up  with  these  drunken  broils.  He  took 
his  seat  by  the  table  where  all  the  bottles  were,  and 
began  to  deliver  a  lecture  on  the  subject  of  temper- 
ance. He  said,  "You  know,  a  man's  a  fool  to  let 
liquor  get  the  best  of  him  ;  in  fact,  as  regards  my- 
self, I  very  seldom  drink,  and  when  I  do  drink,  it's 
more  for  the  sake  of  sociability  than  anything  else. 
In  fact,  liquor's  a  thing  I  don't  have  any  taste  for 
at  all.  You  know,  I  have  had  an  excellent  educa- 
tion. I  am  an  extraordinarily  skilful  penman,  a  good 
bookkeeper,  and,  in  fact,  am  capable  of  holding  almost 
any  position,  and  if  it  hadn' t  been  for  my  ill-health,  I 


184  0:S  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

should  now  be  a  wealthy  man.  The  principal  cause 
of  my  success  in  life  is  due  to  the  fact  that  I  am  al- 
ways temperate  as  regards  the  use  of  liquor,  very,  very 
seldom  touching  it ;  and  when  I  do,  I  never,  under  any 
circumstances,  allow  it  to  get  the  best  of  me."  Dur- 
ing all  the  time  he  was  talking  he  was  watching  me 
out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye,  and  whenever  he  thought 
I  was  not  noticing  he  poured  a  big  drink,  first  out  of 
one  bottle  and  then  out  of  another,  until  the  entire 
collection  had  been  sampled.  The  longer  he  talked 
the  more  talkative  he  became,  and  likewise  the  more 
incoherent  were  his  sentences.  Finally,  he  tumbled 
off  his  seat,  and  fell  asleep  on  the  dirt  floor. 

In  the  meantime  the  jabbering  of  the  crowd  who 
had  gone  to  put  Dishley  to  bed  had  ceased,  and  all 
was  quiet  with  the  exception  of  the  rushing  of  the 
waters  of  the  river,  an  occasional  hooting  of  an  owl, 
and  in  the  distance  the  demoniacal  yell  of  a  hyena, 
or  the  faint  roar  of  a  lion.  I  then  took  my  way  to 
the  thatched  house  where  I  was  intending  to  spend 
the  night.  It  was  about  five  steps  from  Skellum's  hut. 
On  the  path  I  found  one  man  lying  sound  asleep 
against  a  tree  fifty  yards  from  any  shelter.  A  little 
farther  on  I  stumbled  over  another  individual  stretched 
across  the  path.  I  could  rouse  neither  of  them,  and 
as  they  were  large  fellows,  it  was  with  no  small  dif- 
ficulty that  I  dragged  them  into  the  nearest  dwelling. 
Arriving  at  Skellum' s,  I  saw  a  pair  of  feet  sticking  out 
of  the  doorway,  which  possessed  no  door.  Their  owner 
was  snoring  loudly  enough  to  be  heard  at  a  consider- 
able distance.  I  struck  a  match  and  there  was  Dishley 
nicely  tucked  into  bed,  peacefully  and  musically  snor- 
ing. As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  entire  party  had  been  so 
overcome  with  exhaustion  from  attending  to  the  wants 
of  their  comrade,  that  they  had  all  collapsed.   I  was 


THE  SEAMY   SIDE   OF  LIFE   AT   HARTLEY  185 

profoundly  impressed  by  the  absolute  recklessness  of 
these  men  and  the  wanton  exposure  to  which  they 
subjected  themselves,  as  they  lay  there  on  the  damp 
ground  enveloped  in  pestilential  vapors,  while  at  the 
same  time  they  were  in  imminent  danger  of  being 
dragged  away  by  prowling  animals,  such  as  lions, 
leopards,  or  hyenas. 

I  passed  into  my  own  hut,  closed  the  door,  and  went 
to  bed.  Presently  I  heard  a  yawn  and  a  mumbling. 
Then  someone  staggered  up  against  the  outside  of  the 
wall  and  began  to  kick  it  vigorously.  Skellum' s  voice 
roared  out:  "Where  am  11  Where's  my  home?" 
Then  he  kicked  more  vigorously  still.  ' '  Look  here, 
ye  bounder !  I  want  ye  to  tell  me  where  my  home 
is.  Ye' re  too  mean  to  tell  a  man  where  he  is,  are 
ye?"  I  said  nothing,  but  I  laughed  to  myself,  for 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  hut  I  was  occupying  was  sup- 
posed to  be  empty.  Skellum  again  kicked  angrily 
against  the  wall,  and  cursed,  and  fumed.  Finally 
he  said,  *'A11  right!  If  ye' re  too  low  down  in  the 
world  to  tell  a  man  where  his  home  is,  I'll  settle 
with  ye  to-morrow.  I'll  be  able  to  find  ye,  for  I'll 
know  this  building  wherever  I  see  it  by  the  trees 
that  grow  around  it."  In  reality,  there  were  trees 
about  all  the  huts,  so  that  one  could  not  be  distin- 
guished from  another.  Skellum  took  about  five  steps 
and  tumbled  into  his  "home,"  where  he  lay  on  the 
ground  with  his  legs  sticking  out  of  the  doorway  as 
far  as  his  knees. 

The  next  morning  I  was  awakened  by  a  revival  of 
the  conviviality,  and  again  I  went  to  the  scene  of  com- 
motion. There  was  a  great  amount  of  arguing  going 
on  about  all  sorts  of  things,  but  the  most  heated  dis- 
cussion was  being  held  on  the  subject  of  "fleas." 
Tilman,  the  owner  of  the  liquor,  who  was  a  Scotchman, 


186  0:S  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

called  Skellum  an  Irisliman.  Skellum  retorted  by  call- 
ing Tilman  a  Scotcliman,  and  adding  that  he  was  no  man 
at  all  because  he  allowed  fleas  in  his  hut.  Arguments 
in  various  degrees  of  heat  were  going  on  among  the 
other  members  of  the  party  fully  as  profound  as  the 
flea  controversy.  While  Tilman  was  cleaning  his  rifle, 
he  accidentally  pulled  the  trigger.  The  gun  was  load- 
ed and  went  off.  The  bullet  kindly  passed  between 
Skellum  and  me  as  we  sat  on  a  stretcher,  and  blew 
a  hole  in  the  wall  as  large  as  a  man's  head.  Skellum 
tumbled  over,  evidently  thinking  he  was  hit,  and 
said,  ''Ye' re  trying  to  kill  a  poor  Irishman,  are  ye  ?  " 
but  all  the  satisfaction  he  got  out  of  the  Scotchman 
was,  ''  It  would  have  served  you  right  if  it  had  killed 
you,  you  drunken  old  animal,  getting  in  the  way  like 
that!"  Then  the  discussions  continued  as  though 
nothing  had  happened. 

As  a  sequel  to  this  incident,  Tilman  was  found  the 
following  morning  jammed  in  between  his  bed  and  the 
wall,  choked  to  death  by  his  own  blanket,  which  had 
accidentally  got  wrapped  around  his  neck.  One  mem- 
ber of  the  party  died  two  months  later  at  his  claims 
in  the  fly  country.  Plimmer  succeeded  in  getting  as 
far  as  Salisbury,  and  expired  in  the  hospital.  Another 
was  afterward  laid  to  rest  in  Bulawayo.  Disliley,  who 
was  a  young  man,  took  a  lesson  from  the  fate  of  his 
associates,  and  mended  his  waj^s.  As  to  Skellum,  he 
was  such  a  tough  case  that  it  is  doubtful  if  he  ever 
dies,  even  of  old  age. 

As  can  easily  be  surmised,  delirium  tremens  not 
infrequently  results  from  such  escapades.  Men  in 
Africa  when  thus  afflicted  usually  see  rats  instead  of 
snakes,  as  is  the  case  in  America.  Hence  it  is  common 
to  hear  such  expressions  as  "In  the  rats,"  "  Got  the 
rats,"  or  "Eatty."    Persons  who  are  accustomed  to 


THE  SEAMY   SIDE  OF  LIFE  AT  HAETLEY  187 

seeing  imaginary  rats  are  more  or  less  nervous  in  the 
presence  of  real  ones,  lest  the  latter  be  likewise  an 
hallucination.  On  one  occasion  three  half-tipsy  booz- 
ers sat  at  a  rough-and-ready  table  in  a  rough-and- 
ready  hut  playing  at  cards  by  candle-light.  In  the 
midst  of  the  game  a  rat  ran  down  the  wall  to  the  table 
and  then  jumped  to  the  floor.  Each  of  the  men  grew 
pale  at  what  he  supposed  to  be  a  phantom  rat.  Not 
one  raised  his  eyes  or  uttered  a  word,  for  each  firmly 
believed  that  he  "had  'em"  and  wished  to  conceal  it 
from  his  comrades. 

Occasionally,  however,  these  apparitions  present 
themselves  in  the  form  of  spiders  or  scorpions.  A 
Mashonaland  prospector  named  Marshall  was  playing 
billiards  one  day  in  Snodgrass  &  Mitchell's  hotel,  when 
a  big  real  spider  ran  across  the  floor.  Marshall  made 
a  futile  attempt  to  crush  it  with  his  cue.  His  com- 
panions began  joking  him,  saying  that  it  was  not  a 
real  spider  and  that  he  "had  'em  again,  bad." 
Evidently  he  thought  he  had,  for  presently  another 
spider  appeared  close  to  his  feet.  He  looked  at  it 
suspiciously  and  said  to  it,  with  emphasis,  "No  you 
don't.  You  fooled  me  before,  but  you  don't  this 
time."  Then  he  continued  with  his  playing,  quite  at 
ease. 

Heavy  drinkers  are,  as  a  rule,  the  first  to  fall  victims 
to  malarial  fever,  although  it  sometimes  happens  that 
the  hardest  boozers  live  for  years  in  sickly  places,  and 
subject  themselves  to  reckless  exposure  that  would 
quickly  kill  men  of  more  exemplary  habits.  It  seems 
to  be  the  opinion  of  physicians  that  the  moderate 
drinker  stands  a  better  chance  against  the  fever  than 
the  total  abstainer.  However,  so  few  total  abstainers 
have  ever  tried  living  in  extremely  malarious  coun- 
tries that  there  have  been  scarcely  examples  enough 


188  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 

to  give  the  matter  a  fair  test.  Acting  upon  the 
advice  of  Dr.  Edgelow,  I  took  a  drink  of  whiskey 
religiously  every  morning  before  breakfast  during  one 
fever  season  ;  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  I  fell  sick 
with  one  of  the  worst  attacks  I  have  ever  had.  I 
concluded  that  in  my  own  case,  at  least,  whiskey 
was  no  fever  preventative,  and  I  therefore  discon- 
tinued the  treatment. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS 

A  Tramp  to  Machia-ngombe's — Native  Clearings — Men  and 
Women  Trudge  Homeward  from  the  Fields — Machia- 
ngombe's  Villages — A  Cordial  Reception — An  Invitation  to 
Dine — Attire  and  Personal  Appearance  of  my  Hostesses — 
A  Mashona  Hut  and  its  Furnishings — The  Dinner — Mat- 
rimonial Gossip — Makombo  Returns  from  Marketing — A 
Night- Long  Dance. 

When  the  mists  had  cleared  away  on  the  morning 
after  the  drinking,  I  got  the  donkeys  ready,  and 
turned  my  face  toward  Salisbury.  I  had  hoped  to 
get  some  more  medicine  from  Dr.  Edgelow,  but  upon 
arriving  at  the  Mining  Commissioner's  camp,  I  found 
that  the  doctor  had  gone  to  Salisbury  with  Mr. 
McKay,  who  had  been  for  some  time  at  Hartley,  too 
critically  ill  to  be  removed.  I  followed  the  path  lead- 
ing from  Hartley  to  Machia-ngombe's  villages,  it  be- 
ing my  intention,  as  I  was  short  of  food,  to  reach  a 
village  each  night  where  I  could  have  shelter  from 
rain,  and  food  such  as  it  might  be.  The  walking  was 
slippery,  and  as  I  trudged  along,  I  felt  that  not  much 
time  remained  before  I  should  be  visited  with  an  at- 
tack of  fever. 

The  path  led  first  through  an  open  glade,  and  then, 
for  about  a  mile,  across  a  thick  forest  of  machabel- 
trees.  Alongside  the  path  were  to  be  seen  the  bleached 

189 


190  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

bones  of  several  elephant  skeletons,  wliicli  were  the  re- 
mains of  those  killed  twenty  or  more  years  before  by  the 
old  elephant  hunters  in  the  days  of  Hartley,  for  whom 
the  two  rocky  hills  had  been  named.  Emerging  from 
the  timber,  I  traversed  a  stretch  of  country  almost  even- 
ly interspersed  with  patches  of  bush  and  open  glades. 
While  crossing  one  of  the  latter,  a  pack  of  wild  dogs, 
with  long,  lank  bodies  and  big  heads  and  ears,  crossed 
the  path  some  distance  in  front  of  me,  coursing  swiftly, 
like  a  pack  of  greyhounds.  Before  they  were  out 
of  sight,  I  saw  that  the  object  of  their  pursuit  was  a 
brown  donkey,  which  had  evidently  strayed  from  its 
master  into  the  bush  and  become  wild.  As  I  was 
quite  alone,  and  had  my  own  donkeys  to  care  for,  I 
could  not  go  to  its  rescue.  My  efforts  would  most 
likely  have  been  futile,  for  the  quarry,  followed  by  the 
pack,  soon  disappeared  over  a  distant  rise. 

Not  far  from  this  I  came  to  native  grain-fields, 
made  in  deadened  forests  of  umsassa- trees.  The 
Mashona,  no  less  averse  to  work  than  the  African  race 
generally,  chooses  for  his  lands,  not  the  most  fertile 
ground,  but  that  which  is  most  easily  cultivated.  This 
is  found  in  sandy  forest  belts  in  what  is  known  as  the 
granite  formation  of  the  country.  The  natives  make 
no  effort  to  renew  the  soil  by  fertilizing  ;  hence,  as  this 
light  loam  does  not  produce  well  for  more  than  three 
seasons,  the  men  go  forward  and  begin  to  devastate  a 
new  forest  by  climbing  into  the  trees  and  cutting  off 
the  tops.  These  are  piled  around  the  trunks  and, 
when  dry,  burned,  thus  deadening  the  trees,  while 
at  the  same  time  making  the  earth  more  fertile  with 
the  ashes.  The  women  follow  after  with  their  hoes, 
turn  over  the  ground  into  narrow  furrows,  and  plant 
it  in  mealies  and  other  grains.  These  deadened 
forests  with  ugly  trunks,  ungainly  limbs,  and  black- 


DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS 


191 


ened  stumps  give  to  the  country  in  which  they  occur 
an  appearance  of  desolation.  The  most  fertile  portions 
of  these  granite  belts  are  the  open,  marshy  glades, 
called  vleis,  near  the  small  streams.  The  soil  in  the 
vleis  is  exceptionally  fertile,  and  by  drainage  seems 
capable  of  producing  almost  any  crop,  but  the  natives 
utilize  these  sections  only  for  raising  a  limited  amount 
of  an  excellent  quality  of  rice. 

As  I  proceeded,  the  path  wound  through  fields  of 
mealies,  Kafir  corn,  rukwaza  (a  sort  of  millet),  sweet 
potatoes,  pumpkins,  peanuts,  and  then  across 
rice-beds  in  the  marshes.  The  people  working  in  the 
fields  greeted  me  with  "  Molla,  Inyamazona  "  ("  Good- 
day,  Inyamazona").  Inyamazona,  which  means 
''game"  or  "wild  animal,"  was  the  name  they  had 
given  me  because  I  had  killed  much  game.  Others 
were  already  on  their  way  to  the  villages,  which  were 
at  some  distance,  and  from  all  about  came  the  plain- 
tive melodies  which  they  sang  as  they  trudged  home- 
ward. The  men  were  armed  with  guns  or  assegais 
swung  across  their  shoulders  ;  while  the  women,  each 
with  a  babe  on  her  back,  and  upon  her  head  a  bundle 
of  fire-wood  or  a  basket  of  produce,  carried  over  one 
shoulder  a  large-bladed  hoe  with  a  short,  curved  handle. 
Small  boys  were  driving  homeward  herds  of  little 
Mashona  goats  and  cattle  which  they  had  been  mind- 
ing during  the  day  in  the  meadows  between  the  fields 
of  grain.  As  we  approached  the  villages,  groups  of 
girls  and  women,  bearing  on  their  heads  black  earthen 
pots,  passed  us  on  their  way  to  the  spring  for  water. 

Machia-ngombe's  numerous  small  kraals  were  scat- 
tered among  the  broken  granite  kopjes  on  both  sides 
of  the  Umfuli  River,  about  twelve  miles  from  Hart- 
ley. They  contained  from  twenty -five  to  one  hun- 
dred huts  each,  which  may  be  said  to  represent  on 


192  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEOXTIER 

an  average  four  souls  to  a  hut.  Each  village  was 
governed  by  a  sub-chieftain,  over  whom  Machia- 
ngombe  was  paramount.  I  directed  my  steps  toward 
Umjojo's  village,  which  held  about  two  hundred 
people.  It  was  built  on  a  level  plot  of  ground,  sur- 
rounded by  kopjes  composed  of  large  and  small  bowl- 
ders, among  which  were  caves  and  recesses,  partly  nat- 
ural, but  supplemented  with  artificial  stone  walls, 
thus  making  an  excellent  refuge  and  fortress  in  case 
of  attack.  On  top  of  the  large  bowlders,  scattered 
more  or  less  over  all  these  kopjes,  were  small  grain-bins, 
each  about  four  feet  in  height  by  three  feet  in  diam- 
eter, built  of  mud  and  sticks  and  covered  with  a  small 
thatch  roof,  giving  them  the  appearance  from  a  dis- 
tance of  thick-stemmed  toadstools.  The  village, 
consisting  of  about  fifty  huts,  was  surrounded  by  a 
stockade  built  of  upright  poles  and  banked  outside 
with  thorn  bushes.  This  served  as  a  barrier  to  prowl- 
ing night  animals  and  also  answered  the  purpose  in 
case  of  attack  of  checking  the  enemy  long  enough  to 
let  the  people  escape  into  the  caves  among  the  rocks. 
On  the  different  sides  of  the  village  were  openings 
through  the  stockade,  which  were  closed  at  night  with 
heaps  of  poles  leaning  up  from  the  inside,  thus  mak- 
ing the  entrances  the  most  impregnable  portions. 

As  I  tramped  along  the  path  between  two  kopjes  I 
came  in  sight  of  the  induna,  Umjojo,  surrounded  by 
a  group  of  men  and  boys  who  were  sitting  near  a 
fire  just  outside  the  fence.  As  soon  as  they  saw  me, 
I  heard  one  of  them  announce,  in  his  native  language 
of  course,  "Here  comes  Inyamazona."  Then  they 
all  arose  and  pressed  eagerly  forward  to  meet  me 
with  broad  grins  on  their  faces,  clapping  their  hands 
and  saying,  "Molla,  Inyamazona!  Molla,  Inyam- 
azona!"   I  fancied  that  their  mouths  were  watering 


DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS  I93 

with  the  thought  that  my  presence  brought  to  them 
of  the  delicious  feeds  of  meat  which  had  been  sup- 
plied by  my  rifle,  and  of  the  many  more  that  might 
come  to  them  in  the  future  from  the  same  source. 
The  induna  lifted  my  gun  from  my  shoulder  to  carry 
it  for  me,  while  several  others  lower  in  rank  drove 
the  donkeys,  making  sure  to  be  noisy  enough  about 
it  to  call  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  they  were 
assisting  me. 

We  sat  down  by  the  fire,  and  the  chief  began  to 
talk  about  my  trip.  The  boys,  he  said,  had  all  re- 
turned. The  Matabeles  were  still  sick  with  fever, 
and  they  were  looking  very  thin  and  pale — if  the  lat- 
ter term  may  ever  be  applied  to  black  men.  Makom- 
mona  had  gone  with  a  part}'-  of  huntsmen  to  the 
Mombi  for  the  buffalo  meat. 

The  Mashonas  resumed  their  various  occupations. 
Some  were  smoking  ^'daka"  (crushed  hemp-seed). 
One  old  fellow  had  a  goat-skin  stretched  out  with 
pegs,  and  was  scraping  it  with  an  iron  instrument 
made  for  the  purpose.  Another  was  melting  down 
some  brass  cartridge  cases.  He  first  pounded  them 
flat  with  his  rough  hammer,  then  rolled  them  up, 
placed  them  in  a  crucible  a  little  larger  than  a  tea- 
cup, and  heated  them  on  a  fire  of  charcoal  fed  by  a 
blast  from  two  bellows  made  of  goat-skins.  These  he 
worked,  one  with  each  hand,  holding  them  to  the 
ground  with  his  feet.  Previous  to  melting  the  brass, 
he  had  formed  a  mould  by  thrusting  a  stick  into  the 
ground  and  had  lined  it  with  wood-ash.  Into  this 
hole  the  molten  metal  was  poured  and  allowed  to  cool. 
Afterward,  removing  the  clay,  he  exhibited  a  rough 
brass  rod  which  was  to  be  beaten  into  bangles  to  be 
worn  by  the  women  on  their  ankles  and  wrists.  An- 
other man  with  a  scoundrelly  look  on  his  face  was 

13 


194  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FEONTIER 

binding  the  stock  of  his  musket  in  fanciful  designs 
with  brass  and  copper  wire.  They  were  all,  as  Ma- 
slionas  generally  are,  repulsively  filthy.  It  is  not 
their  custom  to  wash  their  bodies  more  frequently 
than  once  a  month,  and  many,  I  am  confident,  do  not 
perform  this  irksome  duty  oftener  than  once  a  year. 
They  simply  allow  the  dirt  to  wear  off.  I  sometimes 
asked  them  their  reason  for  not  washing,  and  the 
answer  invariably  was,  that  they  were  afraid  of  the 
w^ater.  Most  of  them  wore  charms  encircling  their 
necks,  and  they  were  all  attired  in  the  usual  costume 
of  two  pieces  of  breech-cloth,  one  in  front  and  one  be- 
hind, fastened  around  the  loins.  Some  carried  dirty 
old  blankets  thrown  over  their  shoulders.  The  in- 
duna,  Umjojo,  was  draped  in  a  large  gray  one.  He 
held  in  his  hand  a  small  iron  sceptre.  In  stature,  this 
patriarch  was  inclined  to  be  heavy-set,  with  the  usual 
long,  ape-like  arms  of  the  African.  He  had  a  woolly 
head  and  an  expressionless  face — unless  one  might 
say  it  expressed  degradation  and  stupidity — with  a 
small,  scraggy,  curly  beard  and  a  mustache.  His  feet 
were  large,  long,  and  absolutely  flat  on  the  bottoms  ; 
and  he  was  slightly  affected  with  umbilical  hernia,  an 
affliction  very  common  among  Mashona  children,  but 
which,  as  a  rule,  is  outgrown  before  maturity. 

Being  very  hungry,  I  hinted  to  the  chief  that  I 
wished  something  to  eat ;  and  as  he  had  already 
finished  his  own  supper,  which  had  been  brought  to 
him  at  the  fire,  he  took  me  into  the  village.  We 
passed  through  the  main  entrance  of  his  stockade, 
near  the  outer  side  of  which  was  a  large  heap  of  ashes. 
Inside,  there  was  the  general  appearance  of  shiftless- 
ness  common  to  Mashona  settlements.  As  a  rule,  a 
native  town  is  occupied  until  the  filth,  vermin,  and  rats 
accumulate  to  such  an  extent  as  to  become  unbear- 


Mashona  Huts  and  Grain-bins. 


DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS  195 


able  ;  then  a  new  site  is  looked  for,  and  built  upon ; 
and  the  old  one  is  left  to  grow  to  weeds  and  grass, 
and  to  be  burnt  by  the  veld-fires  during  the  next 
dry  season.  The  chief  took  me  to  the  hut  of  his 
oldest  wife,  Tambudza.  He  said  to  her,  "Here  is 
Inyamazona.  Give  him  some  supper!"  Then  he 
went  back  to  his  place  by  the  fire  outside  the  kraal. 
There  were  at  this  hut,  besides  Tambudza  and  her 
little  child,  Maki,  a  wrinkled  old  granny  whom  they 
called  Ambuya,  one  of  the  induna' s  daughters,  named 
Chu-uti,  and  another  girl,  Neana,  the  daughter  of  the 
chief  of  a  neighboring  village. 

They  all  came  out  of  the  hut  smiling,  clapping  their 
hands,  and  greeting  me  with  "Molla,  Inyamazona! 
We  are  just  ready  to  eat  our  supper,  so  you  would 
better  come  in  and  eat  with  us."  They  would  scarcely 
for  a  moment  have  thought  of  asking  a  Mashona  man 
to  do  this,  as  he  would  have  considered  it  beneath  his 
dignity  to  eat  with  women  ;  but  white  men  were 
looked  upon  by  the  Mashonas  as  anomalies,  who  do 
not  come  under  the  rules  of  ordinary  humanity.  In 
fact,  during  the  first  two  or  three  years  after  our  ad- 
vent into  the  country,  the  natives  regarded  us  more 
or  less  as  a  lot  of  harmless  lunatics,  who  were  tem- 
porarily wandering  about,  shooting  game  and  search- 
ing for  gold-mines,  who  gave  them  plenty  of  blankets 
in  return  for  showing  the  locality  of  these  deserted 
ancient  workings  secluded  in  dense  thickets,  and 
from  whom  they  received  nice  presents  of  beads, 
calico,  and  empty  brass  cartridge  cases  for  their  agri- 
cultural products.  Consequently,  any  breach  of  eti- 
quette on  the  part  of  the  * '  children  of  the  white 
mother"  was  to  them,  in  their  conceited  opinion  of 
their  own  superior  worth,  the  source  of  considerable 
amusement.    I  was  ravenously  hungry,  and,  more- 


196  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

over,  this  was  an  opportunity  for  observing  domestic 
life  among  this  primitive  people — an  opportunity 
which  I  could  not  afford  to  lose  ;  so  I  accepted  the  in- 
vitation. It  was  already  dusk,  and  the  mosquitoes 
and  midges  were  biting  so  hard  that  I  was  glad  of  a 
chance  to  escape  from  them  by  getting  inside  of  a 
Mashona  hut,  which,  with  its  one  small  opening  and 
the  presence  of  fire  and  smoke  within,  is  fairly  proof 
against  the  entrance  of  these  pests.  I  went  in  on  my 
hands  and  knees  through  the  low,  narrow  door. 

The  women  were  attired  in  the  usual  Mashona  cos- 
tume—  two  pieces  of  breech-cloth  made  of  goat- 
skins, one  in  front  and  one  behind,  tied  around 
the  body  Just  above  the  hips.  The  aprons  of  the 
young  women  were  worked  in  triangles  of  red  and 
white  beads.  The  two  older  dames  wore  in  addition 
large  cloaks  made  of  tsessebe  antelope  skins.  Tam- 
budza's  little  child,  Maki,  whose  only  wearing  ap- 
parel was  a  string  of  red  beads  around  its  neck,  was 
secured  to  its  mother's  back  by  her  cloak.  Each  of 
the  women  exhibited  a  collection  of  brass  and  iron 
bracelets  on  her  wrists,  extending  half-way  to  the 
elbow.  Tambudza  had  one  heavy  brass  bangle  on 
each  ankle,  while  the  younger  women  carried  half  a 
dozen  smaller  ones  on  theirs.  The  latter  wore  rolls  of 
beads  about  their  bodies  and  also  several  iron  rings 
around  their  necks.  Both  had  their  heads  closely 
shaved  with  the  exception  of  a  small  portion  on  the 
top,  from  which  radiated  little  strings  of  red  and  white 
beads  tied  to  the  hair,  forming  an  artistically  droop- 
ing corona  in  which  lumps  of  dirty  grease  had  been 
daubed  to  prevent  vermin  from  propagating. 

Chu-uti's  small  black  eyes  were  far  apart.  Her 
nose,  which  was  flat  and  slightly  pitted  with  small-pox 
marks,  was  wide  at  its  beginning  between  the  eyes, 


DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS 


197 


but  it  continued  to  widen  until  at  the  opening  of  the 
nostrils  it  occupied  one-third  the  entire  width  of  her 
face.  Her  lips  were  moderately  thick,  her  arms  long, 
her  waist  straight,  the  calves  of  her  legs  dispropor- 
tionately small,  and  the  bottoms  of  her  feet  as  flat  as 
aboard,  while  her  heels  protruded  some  distance  back- 
ward. She  was  a  large,  strong  woman,  and  except  for 
the  slight  defects  mentioned,  might  be  said  to  be  phys- 
ically well  formed.  Neana  was  of  smaller  stature, 
somewhat  more  comely,  with  a  higher  and  narrower 
bridge  to  her  nose,  and  an  attempt  at  an  arch  in  her 
foot.  Both  possessed  pearly  white  teeth,  marred  only 
by  reddish  dough  of  the  sadza,  which,  after  eating, 
had  not  been  removed  from  the  bases  next  to  the  gums. 
They  were  tattooed  with  small  rows  of  little  cuts  across 
the  forehead  and  on  the  temples,  and  with  straight 
rows  across  the  chest  and  abdomen.  Their  ebony 
bodies  shone  with  oil  with  which  they  had  been  rub- 
bing themselves  in  anticipation  of  a  dance  which  was 
to  take  place  that  night. 

Ambuya  was  a  little  dried-up  old  woman  of  in- 
definite age,  whose  kinky  hairs  were  almost  equally 
divided  between  gray  and  brown.  There  was  little 
else  of  her  arms,  legs,  and  body  than  skin  and  bone. 
By  hugging  the  fire  too  closely  on  cold  winter  nights, 
the  wrinkled  folds  on  her  stomach  had  been  burned 
into  ugly  scars,  as  is  often  the  case  with  aged  Mashonas. 
Her  nostrils  were  powdered  inside  and  out  with  dirty 
snutf,  which  she  used  inveteratel}^  Several  of  her  teeth 
were  missing,  and  of  those  remaining,  the  molars  were 
worn  flat  on  their  surfaces,  through  years  of  masticat- 
ing food  mixed  with  a  goodly  percentage  of  sand  and 
grit,  just  as  one  sees  the  teeth  of  old  oxen  worn  smooth 
in  very  sandy  countries  where  the  grass  grows  short. 
Her  face  was  squinted  and  wrinkled  almost  exactly 


198  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


like  the  face  of  an  old  monkey.  In  fact,  there  was 
something  so  suggestive  of  the  ape  in  the  features  of 
all  these  women  that  I  burst  out  laughing  when  I 
thought  of  it,  but  at  once  excused  myself  by  saying 
that  I  was  laughing  because  I  was  so  glad  to  see  them. 

The  hut  was  built  and  furnished  in  the  style  common 
to  the  Mashona  nation.  In  shape  it  was  circular,  with 
a  diameter  of  fourteen  feet.  The  walls  were  about  five 
feet  six  inches  in  height  from  the  floor.  As  the  floor 
was  eighteen  inches  beneath  the  level  of  the  ground, 
the  outer  portion  of  the  wall  was  not  so  high.  This 
wall  was  built  of  upright  poles  about  three  inches  in 
diameter,  firmly  bound  together  with  laths  and  bark. 
Inside,  it  was  smoothly  plastered  with  mud ;  out- 
side, the  bare  poles  were  exposed  to  the  weather.  The 
roof  was  thatched  with  grass  on  top  of  a  framework 
made  of  long  slender  poles  placed  closely  side  by  side, 
and  reaching  from  the  top  of  the  wall  of  the  hut  up- 
ward and  inward,  until  all  converged  at  a  point  directly 
over  the  centre  of  the  floor,  the  entire  framework  being 
bound  firmly  together  with  bark.  The  roof  really  re- 
sembled a  great  conical  basket  turned  upside  down,  so 
that  its  apex  pointed  skyward,  while  the  large  open 
rim  rested  over  the  top  of  the  wall  of  the  hut.  The 
thatch  was  made  of  long  grass,  placed  with  its  tops 
downward,  extending  in  laj^ers  from  the  highest  point 
down  to  about  two  feet  beyond  the  wall.  The 
thatching  was  so  skilfully  done  that  not  a  drop  of 
water  could  enter  during  a  hard  rainstorm.  The  floor 
was  made  of  pot-clay  obtained  from  large  ant-l>eaps, 
and  it  had  been  beaten  down  smooth  and  hard ;  in 
fact,  it  was  so  hard  that  the  destructive  white  ants 
could  not  penetrate  from  below.  At  the  centre  of  the 
floor  was  a  circular  depression,  more  than  a  foot  in  di- 
ameter, which  was  the  fireplace.  Alongside  the  fireplace 


DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS  I99 

a  portion  of  the  floor,  six  feet  by  four,  was  built  to  a 
height  of  six  inches;  this  constituted  the  Mashona's 
bedstead.  The  single  entrance  to  the  dwelling  was 
closed  by  a  thick  plank,  hewn  out  of  the  trunk  of  a 
soft  wooded  tree.  This  door  opened  from  the  inside, 
and  was  barred  at  night  by  a  large  wooden  peg  shoved 
into  a  hole  in  the  doorsill. 

A  bright  fire  was  burning  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
while  the  smoke  from  it  curled  up  through  the  black- 
ened thatch  and  rafters.  It  was  made  of  several  small 
fagots  radiating  from  the  centre.  Three  stones,  each 
half  the  size  of  one's  head,  supported  an  earthen  pot 
from  which  the  steam  was  rising.  Leaning  against 
this  large  pot  was  a  smaller  one  resting  on  two  sticks 
of  burning  wood.  At  the  left  of  the  door  was  a  nar- 
row stack  of  fire-wood,  squeezed  against  the  wall  by 
two  upright  poles  fastened  firmly  into  the  floor  and 
then  to  the  roof.  At  the  right  of  the  door  stood  a 
miniature  circular  mud-tower,  four  feet  high,  with 
small  arched  openings  in  the  levels  of  its  different 
stories.  This  was  the  chicken-coop,  and  in  it  nestled 
for  the  night  were  fowls,  scarcely  larger  than  ban- 
tams. Dangling  from  the  roof  above  was  a  little 
grass  basket  in  which  a  hen  was  sitting  on  some 
eggs.  Next  to  the  chicken-coop  was  another  mud 
structure  with  only  one  opening  at  its  side  ;  this 
was  a  grain-bin.  Back  of  it  and  hanging  to  the  wall 
were  an  old  muzzle-loading  musket  and  some  as- 
segais. Not  far  from  the  fire,  suspended  by  a  loop 
of  bark  rope,  hung  a  bundle  of  dirty  old  skins 
and  blankets,  which  were  used  by  the  owners  for 
keeping  off  the  cold  during  their  nightly  slumbers. 
Against  the  wall  opposite  the  door  was  a  raised  clay 
bench  or  platform,  on  which  rested  seven  earthen  pots 
as  large  as  bushel  baskets.  There  were  smaller  pots  on 


200  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAX  FROXTIEK 

top  of  these,  then  smaller  ones  again  on  those,  until 
at  the  top  were  little  pots  scarcely  larger  than  one's 
two  fists.  In  some  of  them  were  put  awa}^  for  safe 
keeping  all  manner  of  trinkets,  beads,  and  cloth- 
ing ;  others  held  different  kinds  of  grain  and  meal, 
while  in  still  others  there  were  dried  meat  and  locusts. 
One  large  pot  contained  the  drinking-water,  and  in 
several,  sealed  up  securely  with  clay,  was  Kafir  beer 
which  had  been  made  a  few  days  previously,  and  was 
to  be  used  to  celebrate  the  return  of  the  hunting  party 
that  had  gone  to  the  Mombi.  On  the  fioor  a  flat  stone, 
two  feet  long  by  eighteen  inches  wide  and  slightly 
hollowed  on  its  upper  surface,  constituted  the  primi- 
tive grist  mill  on  which  (with  a  small  stone  in  their 
hands)  the  women  and  girls  ground  the  meal,  accom- 
panying the  work  with  their  mournful  ditties.  Then, 
too,  there  was  a  wooden  mortar,  carved  from  the 
trunk  of  a  tree,  which  served  as  a  mill  for  hulling 
mealies.  'Next  to  the  wood-pile,  and  near  the  wall,  was 
an  enclosure  made  of  sticks  in  which  some  goats  and 
a  yearling  calf  were  quietly  chewing  their  cuds. 

The  only  light  in  the  hut  was  the  bright  fire.  The 
supper,  which  was  served  in  small  wooden  plates  and 
in  pots,  was  placed  on  the  floor,  and  we  all  sat  around 
it  in  Oriental  fashion.  It  consisted  of  sadza  (a  thick  red- 
dish porridge  made  from  meal  obtained  from  a  small 
grain  called  rukwaza),  peanut-sauce  made  of  peanuts 
ground  up  finely  and  cooked  in  water  with  a  seasoning 
of  salt,  a  few  boiled  ears  of  green  Indian  corn,  some 
boiled  vegetable  marrows,  and  a  pot  of  stewed  dried 
zebra  flesh.  As  it  is  the  custom  to  eat  with  fingers  only, 
Ambuya  brought  forth  a  gourd  of  water  and  poured 
some  on  my  hands,  which  I  washed  preparatory  to  be- 
ginning the  meal.  It  was  very  evident  from  the  squeak- 
ing of  the  rats  climbing  about  the  roof  that  they  were 


DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS  201 

aware  that  supper  was  ready,  and  wished  to  come  in 
for  a  share  of  it.  A  big  ugly  one  came  boldly  down 
the  wall  and  cautiously  approached  us  with  head 
outstretched,  and  comically  jerking  the  end  of  his 
nose,  as  he  sniffed  the  savory  viands.  Tambudza  en- 
deavored to  strike  him  with  a  stick,  but  he  quickly 
scampered  to  the  top  of  the  wood-pile,  where  others 
joined  him  in  chattering — scolding  us  apparently — • 
while  we  proceeded  with  the  meal.  All  ate  out  of 
the  same  plates  and  pots.  To  a  person  not  to  this 
manner  born  and  bred,  eating  with  the  fingers  seemed 
rather  awkward.  I  watched  the  others  each  take  a 
chunk  of  the  thick  sadza  between  the  thumb  and 
index  finger,  dip  it  into  the  peanut-sauce,  then  eat  it ; 
and  I  did  the  same.  This  continued,  with  an  occasional 
plunge  with  the  fist  into  the  pot  of  zebra  meat  for  a 
chunk  of  that  dainty,  until  the  first  part  of  the  repast 
was  finished.  For  the  second  course  we  ate  vegetable 
marrows  and  Indian  corn.  If  one  is  extremely  hungry, 
and  feasts  with  closed  eyes,  without  asking  what  he 
is  eating,  whether  it  died  or  was  killed,  a  Mashona 
supper  is  comparatively  palatable. 

My  hostesses  were  very  talkative,  and  asked  many 
questions.  Had  I  killed  much  game  on  the  Mombi 
River?  What  were  the  white  men  doing  at  Harali 
(Salisbury)  ?  Had  any  of  them  brought  their  wives 
and  children  with  them  ?  Were  they  building  huts 
to  keep  off  the  rain,  or  were  they  still  living  in  tents 
and  wagons  ?  Next  they  wanted  to  know  what  the 
white  men  intended  to  do  with  the  gold  they  were 
digging,  and  how  soon  they  would  have  enough  of  it 
and  all  return  to  Diamond  (Kimberley).  They  said 
if  we  remained  very  long  the  Matabeles  would  come 
over  and  kill  us  while  we  were  working  in  the  mines. 
I  told  them  we  had  not  the  slightest  fear  of  the  Mata- 


202  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

beles ;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  we  were  anxious  to  have 
them  come  to  fight,  so  that  we  could  sliow  tliem  how 
completely  we  could  whip  them.  This  they  seemed 
seriously  to  doubt.  Then  further  I  said,  ''We  are 
here  for  all  time,  and  in  a  very  few  years,  thousands 
of  white  men  will  come  with  their  wives  and  children, 
and  build  big  towns  out  of  burnt  red  mud — towns 
larger  than  all  Machia-ngombe' s  villages  put  to- 
gether." They  shook  their  heads  again,  and  be- 
gan to  ask  how  the  white  men  live  in  their  native 
land.  "Do  the  white  women  use  the  same  kind  of 
hoes  we  do  in  cultivating  the  gardens,  and  do  the 
men  go  into  the  fields  with  their  guns  and  keep  watch 
while  the  women  are  hoeing  the  corn?"  "How 
many  wives  has  each  white  man  ?  They  own  so  many 
cattle  they  must  be  able  to  buy  plenty  of  them." 

In  turn  I  tried  to  learn  from  them  some  of  their 
customs.  When  the  subject  of  marriage  came  up, 
they  all  wanted  to  talk  of  their  own  personal  affairs. 
Tambudza  said  that  her  husband,  Umjojo,  had  seven 
wives  in  the  village  besides  herself,  each  living  in  a 
separate  hut.  In  addition  to  these,  he  had  several 
others  who  were  too  young  to  leave  their  homes. 
Chu-uti,  the  chiefs  daughter,  who,  as  also  her  com- 
panion, might  have  been  any  age  from  sixteen  to 
twenty,  did  not  seem  to  be  worrying  herself  par- 
ticularly about  her  matrimonial  affairs.  She  said 
her  father  had  promised  her  to  Sakwe,  a  paramount 
chief  near  Harali.  Two  years  yet  remained  before 
she  would  have  to  leave  her  father's  home.  Sakwe 
was  so  old  and  decrepit,  that  death  was  sure  to  over- 
take him  before  that  time,  and  she  would,  in  that 
event,  fall  a  heritage  to  his  son,  Bankele,  who  was 
said  to  be  a  fine-looking  young  man.  The  other  girl, 
Neana,  was  apparently  more  concerned  about  her 


DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS  203 

nuptial  prospects,  as  the  time  was  near  at  hand  for 
her  departure  to  her  new  home.  She  had  also  been 
promised  to  an  old  man,  a  chief  near  Lo  Magondi's, 
called  Shambadi.  When  the  others  had  left  the  hut, 
Neana  became  embarrassingly  confidential  regarding 
her  coming  marriage,  which  she  evidently  contem- 
plated with  disfavor.  She  said  she  would  rather 
drown  herself  than  be  Shambadi' s  wife —  ' '  an  old  man 
with  nine  wives  already,  and  ugly,  ugh !  with  a  face 
like  this,"  distorting  her  own  in  imitation,  "with  one 
ugly  tooth  here,  and  two  there,  and  none  at  all  on  the 
other  side.  I  want  a  young  man  for  a  husband." 
She  finally  ended  by  placing  me  in  an  extremely  un- 
pleasant position  for  a  single  man  by  proposing  to 
elope  with  me.  I  said  to  her,  "I  am  sorry  I  can't 
help  you  out  of  your  difficulty,  but  if  you  are  really 
seeking  romance,  how  does  it  happen  that  you  don't 
run  away  with  one  of  the  young  men  here  in  the  vil- 
lage ?  They  all  want  wives."  "  Where  could  we  es- 
cape to?"  she  replied,  "  they  have  no  cattle  to  buy 
me  with.  Shambadi  is  to  give  seven  cows  for  me,  and 
my  father  would  be  so  angry  at  losing  them,  that  he 
and  my  brothers  Avould  pursue  us,  kill  my  man,  and 
very  likely  beat  me  to  death.  Yararra,  there  comes 
someone.  Come  in  !  Mae -way  !  If  it  isn't  Makombo, 
just  back  from  Umfuli.  Why,  ewe  Makombo-way, 
you  are  all  wet  !  Did  you  fall  into  the  river  ?  Squat 
down  by  the  fire,  child,  and  dry  your  skin." 

''Molla  Baas,"  said  Makombo,  in  greeting  to  me. 

Mora  Makombo,"  I  replied.  "Hark  !  "  said  Neana, 
"there  is  someone  calling  me.  Hey?"  "Ewe 
Neana-way,"  shouted  Chu-uti  from  a  neighboring  hut, 
"see  if  my  dancing  rattles  are  hanging  on  the  wall 
in  there ?  "  "No,  Shamari !  "  (friend)  Neana  shouted 
back.    "They  are  not  here."    Then  she  continued  ; 


204  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

^'Your  mother  will  be  in  presently,  Makombo,  and 
give  you  some  supper.  There  is  caterpillar  -  sauce 
stewing  in  the  little  pot,  and  some  dried  rats  are  cook- 
ing in  the  big  one.  The  sadza  is  being  made  in  Kini- 
bunga's  hut.  Inyaniazona  has  just  been  telling  us  all 
about  his  wives  and  children  at  Diamond.  Psa  !  Uh! 
Uh  !  Make  haste  !  Take  that  pot  away  from  the  dog. 
Uckgluk  !  Uckgluk !  Ewe  imbuga-way  !  "  and  she 
picked  up  a  cudgel  and  mercilessly  hammered  over  the 
back  a  yellow  cur  wliich  was  persistently  sticking  its 
nose  into  a  pot.  The  brute  stoically  received  the  blows 
without  a  whimper ;  then  it  turned,  and  with  a  snarl 
bounded  out  of  the  door.  She  continued :  "Ewe  Ma- 
kombo, what  did  the  Umlungu  (white  man)  give  you 
at  the  store  for  the  things  you  took  there  to  trade  ? " 

Makombo,  the  chiefs  youngest  son,  a  lad  of  about 
fourteen,  began  to  untie  his  packages.  From  the 
bottom  of  a  calabash  (a  large  gourd)  he  brought 
forth  a  rag  and  unrolled  from  around  it  two  feet  of 
twine,  taking  out  of  it  some  coarse  salt,  which  he 
exhibited  in  his  hand.  ''This,"  he  said,  "is  what 
I  received  from  the  white  man  for  mother's  ground 
nuts."  Producing  similar  dirty  rags  from  the  other 
calabashes  and  baskets,  he  showed  a  tablespoonful  of 
small  red  beads  which  he  had  received  for  his  sister's 
one-half  dozen  ears  of  Indian  corn  ;  then  he  displayed 
two  tablespoonsful  of  white  beads,  which  was  the  pay- 
ment received  for  the  meal  sent  to  market  by  his 
father's  youngest  wife,  Sonoa.  One  yard  of  muslin 
was  for  Ambuya's  one  dozen  eggs,  and  then,  lastly, 
with  a  broad  grin  on  his  face,  he  pulled  out  four  dirty 
little  empty  brass  cartridge  cases,  all  his  own  property, 
given  to  him  by  a  white  man  in  exchange  for  some 
honey,  which  he  had  got  out  of  a  hollow  tree  on  the 
way  to  market  in  the  morning. 


DOMESTIC  LIFE  OF  THE  MASHONAS 


205 


Maebaba-way  !  "  said  Neana ;  "  there  go  the  drums. 
Come,  Inyamazona !  come  see  the  people  dance." 
At  one  end  of  the  village,  in  the  dim  moonlight,  the 
dancers  were  arranged  in  two  rows  facing  each  other — 
one  of  women,  the  other  of  men.  To  the  beating  of 
the  drums  and  the  melody  of  their  voices  they  bent 
and  shook  their  bodies  and  clapped  their  hands  in 
unison.  In  turn,  a  man  from  one  side  and  a  woman 
from  the  other,  stepped  into  the  space  between  the 
rows  and  each  performed  a  series  of  muscular  gyra- 
tions and  acrobatic  evolutions — the  men  far  excelling 
the  women  in  the  display  of  agility  and  artistic  finish. 
Those  who  leaped  high  into  the  air  and  showed  the 
most  abandon  in  the  exhibition  of  their  imaginary  con- 
tests with  wild  beasts  and  savage  enemies,  received 
greatest  applause  from  the  spectators.  I  had  not 
viewed  the  performance  long,  when  an  invitation  was 
given  me  to  come  forward  and  show  them  how  the 
white  men  dance."  Not  wishing  to  displease  my 
hosts,  I  promptly  stepped  into  the  ring  and  went 
through  a  series  of  bounds  into  the  air,  contortions, 
and  tragic  attitudes  in  exhibition  of  fanciful  contests 
with  enemies,  and  blood-curdling  struggles  with  sav- 
age beasts,  which,  judging  from  the  prolonged  ap- 
plause in  the  way  of  shouts  and  laughter  that  fol- 
lowed, must  have  been  creditably  done.  My  exertion 
was  rewarded  by  a  severe  chill  brought  on  by  the 
cool  night-air,  and  I  at  once  retired  to  the  hut  which 
the  chief  had  hospitably  offered  me,  he  expecting,  of 
course,  on  the  morrow  to  be  doubly  paid  for  his  kind- 
ness. The  chill  was  soon  followed  by  a  high  fever, 
and  upon  the  hard  clay  floor  with  aching  head  I  sleep- 
lessly  tossed  about,  while  through  the  night,  till  the 
gray  dawn  had  given  way  to  the  brighter  sunlight,  the 
dancing  continued,  accompanied  by  the  weird  chorus 


206 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


of  voices,  supported  by  the  deep  monotony  of  the 
drums  with  their  ^^^?7^-pit-ty- turn-pit- ty-^'Z^m-pit-ty- 
^?m-pit-ty.  Oh !  how  I  did  wish  them  one  and  all 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sea ! 

[It  is  presumed  that  the  reader  understands  that  the 
Mashonas  do  not  speak  English,  and  that  a  free  trans- 
lation of  their  language  has  been  given  in  the  forego- 
ing chapter.] 


CHAPTER  XV 

MASHONA  CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS 

Purchasing  Ethnological  Specimens — A  Primitive  Method  of 
Greeting — Marriage  Customs — Charms,  Fetiches,  and 
Witchcraft — A  Witch -Doctor's  Ceremonies — A  Mashona 
Practitioner  and  His  Kit — Burial  Customs — Dead  Rel- 
ative "  Dances — A  Description  of  One — On  the  Wings  of 
Ecstasy — A  Mashona's  Idea  of  the  Movements  of  the  Sun 
— A  Lunar  Controversy. 

Having  spent  a  few  weeks  in  the  Salisbury  hospital 
with  fever,  I  was  by  June  1st  again  off  on  a  shooting 
trip.  Much  had  been  said  concerning  the  Umnyati 
Kiver  on  the  border  of  Matabeleland  as  an  excellent 
locality  for  game  ;  hence  I  journeyed  in  that  direction. 
Upon  arriving  at  the  proposed  hunting  ground,  how- 
ever, I  was  greatly  disappointed,  for  between  the 
Matabeles  and  the  prospectors,  nearly  all  the  game 
had  been  frightened  away,  and  that  which  remained 
was  exceedingly  wild.  I  therefore  decided  to  go  to 
the  Angwa  River,  northward  toward  the  Zambesi. 

On  my  way  into  Salisbury  I  spent  some  time  at 
Machia-ngombe' s  villages,  purchasing  ethnological 
specimens.  The  natives  seemed  to  have  many  varie- 
ties of  musical  instruments — primitive  flutes,  banjos, 
and  pianos.  I  found  one  man  there  who,  as  savages 
go,  was  an  excellent  musician.  He  did  good  execu- 
tion on  a  little  contrivance  consisting  of  a  bow  with 

307 


208  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


one  string.  The  resonance  body  was  formed  by  a 
calabash,  the  hollow  side  of  which  the  musician  placed 
against  his  abdomen.  The  instrument  was  called  a 
''hugu." 

Having  by  this  time  acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of 
the  native  language,  and  being  accompanied  by  a  val- 
uable interpreter,  a  colonial  Kafir  named  Tom,  who 
drove  the  oxen  for  me,  I  was  able  to  learn  a  great 
deal  concerning  the  customs  of  the  Mashonas.  One  is 
likely  to  notice  first  their  method  of  greeting.  This  be- 
gins with  an  attempt  at  a  hand  shake  by  simply  touch- 
ing one  another's  hands.  Then  each  individual  claps 
his  hands  together,  and  pats  himself  on  the  ribs  with 
one  hand,  usually  the  right,  at  the  same  time  utter- 
ing some  such  expression  as,  "I  am  glad  to  see  you 
well."  If,  for  example,  two  parties  have  met  along 
a  path,  after  the  preliminary  greeting  they  will  all 
squat  down,  and  while  one  crowd  chimes  in  with  the 
continual  ''Yes,  yes!"  of  attention  and  approval, 
the  leader  of  the  other  group  will  narrate  everything 
that  has  happened  to  him  since  early  morning.  This 
may  seem  to  us,  in  the  conceit  of  our  civilization,  a 
superfluous  and  silly  custom ;  but  these  people  have 
no  daily  papers,  and  for  a  Mashona  to  omit  to  tell 
every  particular  incident  of  his  day's  experience  would 
be  a  serious  breach  of  etiquette. 

The  following  is  a  fair  example  of  one  of  these  greet- 
ings when  translated  :  "  I  (Mazungu)  and  my  sweet- 
heart's  brother,  Umtanitchani,  decided  yesterday  to 
take  some  fowls  and  meal  to  the  white  man's  camp 
and  trade  them  for  red-white-eye  beads,  which  we 
want  to  give  to  our  sweethearts  at  the  next  dance. 
As  soon  as  it  was  light  this  morning  I  was  awakened 
by  the  bleating  of  the  goats  in  my  hut.  I  didn't  sleep 
very  well  last  night  on  account  of  the  rats  nibbling  at 


MASHONA  CHARACTEKISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS  209 

my  ears  and  nose— my  blanket  being  so  short  I  could 
not  cover  my  liead  sufficiently  to  keep  them  o&. 
I  got  up,  yawned,  put  on  my  breech-cloth,  and  then 
went  over  to  Baba's  (father's)  hut  and  told  Mae 
(mother)  to  get  some  breakfast.  I  then  went  to  Um- 
tanitchani's  hut  and  called  him,  after  which  I  went 
out  and  sat  upon  a  big  granite  bowlder  and  picked  lice 
olf  my  blanket.  Mae  called  me  to  bring  a  few  coals 
of  fire  from  the  hut  of  Baba' s  other  wife,  Kazimbi. 
When  I  went  to  Baba's  hut  with  the  fire,  Mae  was 
sweeping  the  floor,  while  my  little  sister,  Chona,  was 
letting  out  the  cow.  Baba  keeps  only  one  cow  in  his 
hut  now;  the  other  three  are  kept  in  Kazimbi' s  hut. 
I  helped  Mae  make  a  fire,  and  the  smoke  blew  into 
her  eyes  and  made  the  tears  run.  Mae  then  handed 
me  a  gourd  of  water,  and  I  poured  water  on  her  hands 
while  she  washed  her  face  ;  then  I  took  a  big  mouth- 
ful of  water  and  squirted  it  on  my  own  hands  and 
waslied  them  and  my  face  also.  Chona  put  a  pot  of 
water  on  the  fire  with  which  to  make  the  sadza. 
Baba  was  sleeping,  with  one  foot  sticking  out  from 
under  the  blanket  close  to  the  fire.  He  woke  up, 
sniffed  awhile  as  though  smelling  something  savory, 
and  said,  *  Mazungu,  Mazungu,  is  Mae  cooking  meat 
for  breakfast  ? '  I  answered,  '  No,  Baba,  there  is  no 
one  cooking  meat  for  breakfast.'  Then  he  said  he  must 
have  dreamed  he  smelled  it,  and  he  covered  his  head 
with  the  blanket  and  went  to  sleep  again.  Mae's 
piccaninny  sat  up,  rubbed  his  eyes  and  cried,  and 
then  Mae  shouted,  '  Ewe  Chona-way,  come  here,  child, 
and  take  care  of  Piccaninny  while  I  cook  Mazungu' s 
breakfast  for  him.'  Just  then  Baba  jumped  up  and 
howled,  '  To-way !  Mae-way !  Wa  cliesa  gumbo 
onJco  ! '  (Oh,  my  mother  !  My  foot  is  on  fire  !)  And 
then  he  scolded  us  because  we  didn't  tell  him  before 

14 


210  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


that  his  heel  was  burning.  Umtanitchani  came  in 
with  his  assegai  and  battle-axe,  and  said,  '  Haven' t 
you  finished  breakfast  yet,  Mazungu  ? '  After  that 
Umtanitchani,  Baba,  Piccaninny,  and  I  squatted 
down,  and  ate  the  sadza.  I  took  my  two  calabashes 
of  meal  on  my  shoulder,  and  then  Chona  gave  me  my 
two  assegais  and  my  knobkerrie,  and  Umtanitchani 
took  his  fowls  and  tied  them  to  his  assegais  and  put 
them  across  his  shoulder,  and  we  went  to  the  men's 
fire  just  outside  of  the  stockade.  There  we  sat  down 
with  the  induna  and  smoked  daka  while  the  witch- 
doctor threw  the  'akata'  and  found  that  we  were 
going  to  get  a  good  price  for  our  produce. 

''The  induna' s  brother,  Wambe,  came  along  and 
gave  us  all  a  pinch  of  snuff.  We  left  by  the  path 
that  leads  around  the  big  hill  by  Manyenga' s  village ; 
there  we  saw  Mopunga's  wife,  Kanawanga,  with  her 
baby  on  her  back,  getting  sweet  potatoes  out  of  a  bin. 
She  said,  '  Where  are  you  two  boys  going  ? '  We 
answered,  '  We  are  going  to  Harali  (Salisbury)  with 
these  fowls  and  this  meal  to  trade  for  beads  to  give 
to  our  sweethearts.'  Then  she  laughed  and  said,  'Go 
on,  sons,  you  are  crazy.'  When  the  path  reached  the 
Harali  road  we  followed  along  that  past  the  new  place 
where  the  white  men  are  digging  for  gold.  A  little 
way  the  other  side  of  the  Hanyani  River  we  came  to 
a  wagon  where  there  were  two  white  men  camped,  one 
named  Blough  and  the  other  called  Mondavana.  We 
squatted  down  by  their  fire  and  Mondavana  said,  '  Do 
you  Kafirs  want  work?'  We  said,  'Yese,  Baas.' 
Mondavana  said,  '  How  much  money  do  you  want  ? ' 
Umtanitchani  said,  '  One  month,  one  pound.'  Mon- 
davana said,  '  All  right,  I  will  give  you  a  pound  a 
month,  and  you  can  begin  work  now  if  you  like.' 
Then  we  said,  '  No,  Baas,  we  can' t  work,  because  we 


MASHONA  CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS  211 

are  going  to  see  our  mother,  who  is  dying,  and  who 
has  sent  for  us  to  come  at  once  and  give  her  some 
beer.'  Then  both  the  white  men  said,  '  Damity  nogud 
bludylie  ;  maninge  lazy  bloody fulu ;  hamba  wena, 
vootsache  damity  niggers.'  Mondavana  threw  stones 
at  us  and  Blough  got  the  long  ox-whip  and  chased 
us  down  to  the  river,  where  we  dodged  him  in  the 
bushes.  Then  we  came  upon  this  path,  which  we 
followed  around  that  stony  hill  yonder,  where  we  saw 
some  baboons  that  scratched  their  ribs  as  we  went  by, 
and  yelled,  *Haw-um,  haw-um,  haw-um  ! '  at  us.  On 
the  other  side  of  the  path  we  saw  three  sable  antelopes 
grazing  in  a  meadow.  They  ran  away  when  they 
smelled  us.  Then  we  came  through  the  bush  to  this 
stream  of  water,  where  Umtanitchani  took  a  drink 
with  his  hands  and  I  lay  down  on  my  belly  and  took 
a  drink  ;  then  Umtanitchani  took  another  drink,  after 
which  we  both  peeled  bark  off  some  umsassa  bushes 
to  make  a  rope.  Then  we  saw  you  come  down  the  op- 
posite bank,  and  that  is  all !  " 

This  finished,  the  spokesman  of  the  second  party 
similarly  narrates  all  his  experiences  since  arising  in 
the  morning,  and  the  greeting  is  ended.  After  taking 
a  little  snuff  and  then  smoking  daka  together,  they 
are  ready  to  pass  on.  Time  is  no  object  with  the 
African  aborigines. 

Their  marriage  customs  are  likewise  peculiar.  The 
father  of  a  girl  receives  payment  for  her  in  cows. 
Ten  is  the  number  established  by  time-honored  usage. 
Owing,  however,  to  scarcity  of  kine,  due  to  Matabele 
raids  in  former  years,  a  far  smaller  number,  with  other 
contributions,  is  now  sufficient.  Frequently  only  one 
cow  and  a  few  goats,  or  even  a  gun  and  some  blankets, 
are  given.  These  articles  are  received  ''on  account," 
so  to  speak,  with  the  understanding  that  more  are  to 


212  0^  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIEE 


be  presented  subsequently  ;  but  once  a  Masliona  gets 
possession  of  his  wife  it  is  liighly  improbable  that  the 
remainder  is  ever  paid,  unless,  perchance,  the  wife 
should  intrigue  with  her  relatives  and  flee  to  the 
home  of  her  father,  to  be  held  as  a  hostage  until  the 
rest  of  the  lawful  debt  or  a  good  portion  thereof  be 
forthcoming. 

A  woman  has  no  voice  in  the  choosing  of  a  partner, 
but  must  go  with  the  man  to  whom  her  father  sells 
her,  or,  in  other  words,  be  troths  her.  Grirls,  as  a  rule, 
are  betrothed  very  young,  even  when  babes,  and  not 
infrequently  they  are  bargained  for  before  they  are 
born.  Often,  before  the  girl  reaches  the  age  to  be 
taken  to  the  home  of  her  husband,  who  in  many 
cases  is  an  old  man  for  whom  she  has  no  liking,  her 
affection  has  become  fixed  upon  some  lad  of  her  native 
village.  This  leads  to  a  romance,  ending  perhaps  in 
elopement,  sometimes  in  murder,  and  occasionally 
even  in  suicide.  In  the  event  of  desertion,  if  the  wife 
is  at  fault,  her  father  is  supposed  to  refund  the 
amount  paid  for  her.  If,  however,  the  husband  is  at 
fault,  the  property  is  not  returned  to  him.  In  either 
case,  both  sides  are  sure  to  assume  to  be  in  the  right, 
and  the  affair  usually  ends  in  a  family  feud. 

The  majority  of  Mashonas  have  but  one  wife.  This 
is  due,  not  to  any  limit  placed  by  law  or  custom  as  to 
number  of  wives,  but  to  the  want  of  means  for  pur- 
chasing them.  Some  have  seven,  eight,  and  even  a 
dozen.  The  more  important  chiefs,  being  the  wealthier 
members  of  the  community,  are  the  ones  who  possess 
most  wives.  Those  who  can,  however  old  and  de- 
crepit they  may  be,  are  particular  always  to  have  a 
young  wife  on  hand.  I  have  seen  wrinkled  old  men, 
just  tottering  on  the  verge  of  the  grave,  with  wives 
too  young  to  leave  their  fathers'  homes.  Matabele 


MASHONA  CHAKACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS  213 

raids  have  caused  a  scarcity  of  women  as  well  as  cattle 
among  the  Mashonas,  so  that  the  monopolizing  of  the 
women  by  old  men  leaves  many  young  men  wifeless. 
The  latter,  therefore,  must  bide  their  time  till  the  pa- 
triarchs have  passed  away  or  new  generations  of  females 
have  seen  the  light.  Barbarous  customs  such  as  these 
naturally  lead  to  much  immorality  among  the  natives, 
although  the  men  guard  their  wives  with  jealous  vig- 
ilance. 

The  negotiating  for  marriage  is  done  by  proxy — an 
old  woman  usually  acting  as  mediator  or  agent.  The 
marriage  rites  are  complicated,  and  to  understand  all 
the  intricacies  of  the  ceremony  it  would  be  necessary 
for  one  to  be  a  participant  in  the  performance.  Among 
other  customs,  the  bride  and  groom  are  imprisoned  in 
a  mud  hut,  where  they  remain  together  for  several  days 
isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  while  an  old  woman 
supplies  them  with  food  and  drink  through  a  chink  in 
the  wall.  When  the  bride  reaches  her  new  home  the 
event  is  celebrated  with  a  big  dance  and  a  ''beer 
drink." 

As  a  race,  these  people  are  as  superstitious  as  savages 
generally  are.  They  believe  in  charms,  fetiches,  and 
witchcraft.  The  latter  is  the  source  of  great  dread  to 
aMashona,  who  fears  that  death  or  accident  may  over- 
take him  through  the  instrumentality  of  some  fellow- 
being  who  may  perchance  hold  against  him  a  grudge. 
But  a  greater  dread  than  this  is  of  the  visitation  of  evil 
by  the  spirit  of  a  departed  friend  or  relative  whom  he 
may  have  slighted  while  living.  For  the  purpose  of 
avoiding  these  calamities,  charms  are  worn  about  the 
person,  usually  around  the  neck.  Divining  bones  or 
blocks  of  wood  called  "akata"  are  thrown  by  the 
witch-doctors  to  discover  a  witch  or  an  evil  spirit, 
and  they  are  also  employed  to  ascertain  the  prob- 


214  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 

able  result  of  a  journey,  a  hunt,  or  a  battle — in  short, 
any  and  all  of  the  events  of  life. 

I  became  acquainted  with  an  old  witch-doctor  at 
Machia-ngombe' s,  whose  home  was  among  the  Mata- 
beles.  He  came  annually  across  to  Mashonaland  to 
visit  his  numerous  friends  there.  He  assumed  to  have 
learned  many  magic  arts  from  the  Zulus,  and  he  was 
eagerly  consulted  by  the  Mashonas,  especially  on  the 
occasion  of  starting  on  a  hunt  for  wild  animals.  I  no- 
ticed that  even  when  dealing  with  his  most  particular 
friends,  he  never  refused  the  offerings  of  various  kinds 
which  it  was  the  custom  to  give  in  payment  for  his 
services.  I  once  saw  him  perform  ceremonies  prelim- 
inary to  the  chase.  Fat  of  the  zebra,  eland,  and  other 
game  was  mixed  with  dirt  and  put  into  a  small  pot. 
Then  some  live  coals  were  placed  on  the  grease  which 
caused  it  to  burn,  so  that  clouds  of  thick  smoke  arose. 
The  huntsmen  sat  in  a  circle  around  the  pot,  with  the 
muzzles  of  their  old  flintlock  and  cap  guns  sticking 
into  the  smoke.  In  unison  they  bent  over  and  took  a 
smell  of  the  fumes,  and  at  the  same  time  called  out  the 
name  of  the  medicine  or  spirit  they  were  invoking,  which 
was  Saru,  saying  thus :  "  Saru,  I  must  kill  game  ;  I  must 
kill  game,  Saru!  Now,  Saru,  I  must  kill  game!'' 
After  this  performance  was  finished,  each  of  the  can- 
didates in  turn  sat  down  near  the  doctor  to  be  person- 
ally operated  upon  by  him.  He  placed  a  bowl  of  medi- 
cated water  upon  the  huntsman' s  head  and  stirred  it 
with  a  stick  while  the  latter  repeated  the  names  of 
all  the  kinds  of  game  he  wished  to  kill.  This  was  to 
ascertain  whether  or  not  the  hunt  was  to  be  successful. 
If  any  of  the  water  splashed  out  and  ran  down  over 
the  patient' s  head  and  face,  success  was  assured.  If 
not  a  drop  of  water  had  left  the  bowl,  then  the  hunts- 
man might  as  well  have  laid  aside  his  gun  and  assegai. 


MASHONA  CHAEACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS  215 

for  his  efforts  would  have  been  doomed  to  failure.  In 
the  cases  of  those  whom  I  saw  resort  to  these  magic 
rites,  success  was  predicted. 

The  witch-doctors  are  doctors  of  medicine  as  well. 
At  Umjojo's  I  obtained  from  a  native  practitioner 
samples  of  all  his  medicines  and  medical  instruments. 
I  tried  hard  to  purchase  his  original  stock,  but  with 
these  he  would  not  part  under  any  consideration,  as 
they  had  belonged  to  his  father.  He  had  been  an  un- 
dutiful  son,  had  been  guilty  of  misdemeanors  toward 
his  father's  younger  wives,  and  had  neglected  to  give 
beer  to  his  father  at  his  death.  Consequently,  he  was 
in  mortal  dread  lest  he  should  be  visited  with  evil  and 
die  young,  unless  he  scrupulously  treasured  whatever 
had  belonged  to  his  departed  parent.  In  return  for  a 
large  quantity  of  beads  and  cloth,  he  gave  me  a  sample 
of  each  of  the  things  in  the  medical  line  which  he  pos- 
sessed. One  of  the  articles  obtained  was  a  small  an- 
telope horn  called  "egona,"  in  which  was  a  mixture 
of  ground-nut  oil,  and  a  medicinal  bark  known  as  un- 
chanya."  The  concoction  is  taken  out  on  the  end  of  a 
stick  termed  ''mutira,"  and  administered  to  the  patient 
by  dropping  it  into  his  ear.  The  doctor  stated  that  it 
was  a  sure  cure  for  headache.  Another  horn,  four 
inches  long,  called  "mulimete,"  was  for  the  purpose 
of  cupping  and  bleeding,  and  is  used  in  this  wise  :  An 
incision  is  made  with  a  knife  into  the  body,  the  large 
end  of  the  horn  is  placed  over  the  wound  ;  then  a 
vacuum  is  formed  by  the  doctor's  sucking  the  air  out 
through  an  opening  at  the  little  end.  The  small  hole 
is  closed  with  wax,  and  the  horn  is  left  until  it 
has  become  filled  with  clotted  blood.  This  is  the 
process  of  curing  rheumatism  and  other  maladies 
which  are  supposed  by  the  Mashonas  to  be  liter- 
ally drawn  out  with  the  blood.    Bleeding  is  prac- 


216  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


tised  extensively,  and  I  have  seen  natives  bled  from 
legs,  arms,  body,  and  bead  until  they  were  so  ex- 
hausted that  weeks  were  required  for  their  recovery. 

Another  important  instrument  secured  from  the 
doctor  was  a  brush  made  of  a  zebra's  tail,  among  the 
hairs  of  which  were  tied  many  small  roots  and  herbs  pos- 
sessing various  medicinal  properties.  One  of  the  reme- 
dies was  known  as  "gwandere,"  and  taken  internally 
was  a  sure  cure  for  worms,  so  the  doctor  stated.  The 
brush  was  called  "muskwa,"  this  being  the  name  for 
any  animal' s  tail.  The  doctor  demonstrated  its  use  by 
operating  upon  a  man  in  my  presence.  He  placed 
some  powdered  herbs  in  a  bowl  of  water,  then  dipped 
the  brush  in  and  sprinkled  the  patient.  Next  he  per- 
formed several  magic  evolutions  with  the  brush  around 
the  patient's  body,  at  the  same  time  repeating,  "  May 
the  sickness  leave  this  person.  May  the  sickness  leave 
this  person,"  etc.  The  doctor  told  me  that  after  this 
operation  the  patient  was  certain  of  recovery,  unless 
some  witch  or  spirit  intervened  to  prevent  it  or  to 
cause  his  death. 

When  a  member  of  the  community  dies,  he  or  she, 
as  the  case  may  be,  is  usually  buried  under  a  shelf  of 
rock  in  a  reclining  position,  with  arms  folded  and  legs 
doubled  up.  In  some  districts,  where  heaps  of  rocks 
are  scarce,  I  have  seen  graves  made  in  large  ant-heaps. 
As  a  rule,  a  small  canopy  or  thatched  roof  is  built 
over  the  grave,  and  under  this  it  is  common  to  see 
placed  as  an  offering  a  pot  of  beer  and  a  plate  of 
sadza.  The  beer  evaporates  and  the  ants  eat  the  sad- 
za,  but  to  the  Mashona  mind  the  disappearance  is  due 
to  supernatural  causes.  At  the  burial  the  near  rela- 
tives of  the  deceased  cry  aloud.  I  was  camping  one 
night  near  a  village  where  a  child  died.  The  obsequies 
took  place  the  next  morning  between  dawn  and  sun- 


MASHONA  CHAKACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS  217 


rise.  The  mother  cried  loudly  while  the  ceremony 
was  proceeding,  but  her  wailing  ceased  soon  after  the 
funeral,  and  there  was  no  more  noise  made  over  it. 
I  went  into  the  village  about  two  hours  later,  and 
saw  some  men,  women,  and  children  quietly  sitting 
around  the  hut  in  which  the  death  had  taken  place,  and 
looking  very  solemn.  The  child  was  about  two  weeks 
old,  and  the  cause  of  death  was  attributed  by  the  Ma- 
slionas  to  the  fact  that  the  mother  had  not  given  beer 
to  her  grandfather  when  he  wanted  it  at  his  death. 

If  a  woman's  husband  dies  and  she  afterward  pro- 
cures another,  the  new  man  takes  up  his  abode  in  the 
hut  of  the  dead  one,  becomes  owner  of  his  assegais 
and  battle-axes,  and  assumes  his  name.  Whether  or 
not  the  second  husband  is  supposed  to  enter  into  pos- 
session of  the  spirit  of  the  deceased,  I  could  not  dis- 
cover. Some  Mashonas  have  told  me  that  they  be- 
lieve that  the  spirits  of  their  departed  relatives  enter 
the  bodies  of  animals,  particularly  those  of  lions. 

At  the  end  of  the  lunar  month  during  which  a  death 
has  taken  place,  the  surviving  partner,  man  or  woman, 
kills  a  goat,  and  its  meat  is  cooked,  as  well  as  quan- 
tities of  other  food,  and  a  large  amount  of  Kafir  beer 
is  brewed.  The  people  gather  from  the  neighbor- 
ing kraals  and  an  all-night  feast  and  dance  ensue. 
Monthly  ''dead-relative  dances,"  which  are  called 
"  macliae,"  are  very  common,  and  if  no  one  has  been 
accommodating  enough  to  die  during  the  month,  the 
feast  and  dance  may  be  held  in  honor  of  someone  who 
departed  years  before. 

I  happened  to  be  at  a  village  on  the  occasion  of  one 
of  these  ceremonies.  The  dance  continued  all  through 
the  night  and  until  the  middle  of  the  next  day.  As 
usual,  a  goat  had  been  killed,  and  there  were  gallons 
of  beer  on  hand.    The  chief  dancers  were  a  man,  his 


218  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

wife,  and  his  daughter,  who  had  in  some  way  at 
some  time  in  the  dim  past  neglected  their  grandpar- 
ents, and  who  were  therefore  in  imminent  danger  of 
dying  if  they  did  not  perform  at  this  time  what 
may  be  termed  the  religious  rite  of  dancing  "  machae." 
They  were  from  another  town,  but  had  come  to  this 
place  where  some  of  their  friends  lived  who  had 
volunteered  to  assist  in  the  orgies.  Crowds  from 
all  the  surrounding  villages  were  present  as  specta- 
tors and  participants.  Tom-toms  were  the  only  mu- 
sical instruments  used,  and  to  the  beating  of  these 
they  danced.  The  dancing  seemed  chiefly  to  consist 
in  showing  their  agility  in  jumping  about  to  the 
music  of  the  drums.  The  men  were  much  better 
performers  than  the  women,  that  is,  they  seemed 
more  **to  let  themselves  loose,"  so  to  speak.  The 
three  principal  dancers  carried  a  brush  made  of  the 
tail  of  a  brindle  gnu — the  same  as  those  used  by  the 
doctors  for  medical  purposes — and  they  took  it  in 
turn,  and  flourished  it  about  during  their  frantic 
athletic  feats.  As  they  danced,  they  sang  a  melan- 
choly sort  of  melody  in  which  all  present  took  part, 
as  did  they  also,  whenever  the  excitement  reached 
a  high  pitch,  in  keeping  time  with  their  feet  and 
bodies  to  the  music  of  the  tom-toms.  It  was  quite 
like  a  Southern  darkey  camp-meeting  revival,  with 
its  clapping  of  hands,  amens  and  glory  hallelujahs, 
accompanying  the  prayers  and  singing  in  the  height 
of  fervent  religious  excitement.  It  was  amusing  to 
see  the  babes  on  their  mother's  backs  being  shaken 
to  the  rhythm  of  the  music. 

At  intervals  of  about  an  hour  there  were  short  in- 
terims during  which  the  entertainment  ceased,  when 
those  who  felt  inclined  replenished  their  thirst  with 
beer,  and  the  exhausted  girls  and  women  tumbled 


MASHOXA  CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS  219 

down  in  heaps  on  the  floor  and  fell  asleep.  When  the 
dancing  began  again  the  slumberers  were  aroused  by 
their  friends,  helped  to  their  feet,  and  then  assisted  to 
stand  till  their  power  of  co-ordinated  action  was  once 
more  restored.  Some  of  the  women  seemed  determined 
to  go  to  sleep  again.  They  reeled  about,  fell  from  one 
side  to  the  other,  or  gave  way  altogether,  and  tumbled 
backward  into  the  arms  of  their  assistants,  who  they 
evidently  knew  were  there  ready  to  catch  them.  I  may 
do  them  injustice,  but  this  part  of  the  performance 
certainly  seemed  to  me  largely  affected,  for  presently 
they  started,  their  legs  and  bodies  began  to  move, 
and  then  they  jumped  about  with  an  activity  that 
showed  no  symptoms  of  exhaustion.  Some  worked 
themselves  up  to  the  pitch  of  crying,  and  streams 
of  tears  rolled  down  their  dirty  cheeks.  Others  could 
not  contain  themselves  for  joy,  their  mouths  being 
stretched  from  ear  to  ear  with  laughter,  while  yet 
others  whooped  and  yelled. 

On  another  occasion,  while  viewing  one  of  these 
dances,  I  saw  a  man  so  carried  away  on  the  wings  of 
ecstacy  that  he  jumped  upon  a  hot  fire  in  the  middle 
of  a  hut,  and  began  doing  the  "light  fantastic" 
with  the  tips  of  his  toes  on  the  fagots  of  burning  wood 
that  radiated  from  it.  Higher  and  higher  swelled  his 
feverish  joy  and  excitement,  as  well  as  that  of  his 
audience,  while  with  feathery  step  he  whirled  and 
bounded  until,  alas  !  the  false  roll  of  a  fagot  landed 
him  plump  in  the  middle  of  the  burning  embers. 
There  he  sat,  his  visage  beaming  with  a  benign  ex- 
pression of  blissful  resignation  only  to  be  compared 
to  the  sanctified  happiness  seen  on  the  face  of  a  hyp- 
notized convert  at  a  "holiness  meeting."  As  not  a 
move  was  made  on  the  part  of  the  spellbound  specta- 
tors to  pull  the  poor  creature  out  of  the  fire,  I  took 


220  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


pity  on  liini  myself  and  saved  him  from  serious  and 
permanent  injury. 

Primitive  as  these  people  are,  they  are  not  without 
scientific  hypotheses.  An  old  Mashona  one  day  gave 
the  following  as  his  theory  concerning  the  movements 
of  the  sun  :  "  The  sun  has  its  origin  in  a  river  called 
the  'Zambesi.'  In  the  evening  it  goes  to  rest  in  that 
part  of  the  river  far  to  the  west  of  us.  During  its 
nightly  slumbers  it  floats  down  stream  to  the  river's 
mouth,  which  is  east  of  us.  At  the  mouth  there  are 
two  large  rocks,  one  on  either  side.  In  passing  be- 
tween these  rocks,  the  sun  is  awakened  by  bumping 
against  one  or  the  other  of  them.  It  Jumps  up  at  once 
from  the  water,  and  this  constitutes  what  we  call  sun- 
rise. If  the  sun  ever  passes  between  the  rocks  without 
bumping  against  either  of  them,  and  floats  out  into 
the  big  water  beyond,  it  will  never  appear  again,  and 
upon  that  day  the  world  will  end."  One  proof  put 
forward  in  support  of  this  theory  about  the  sun  was 
the  difference  in  the  length  of  the  nights  in  summer 
and  winter,  or  the  wet  season  and  the  dry.  In  the 
summer  when  the  floods  are  on,  the  sun  floats  down 
the  stream  quickly,  and  the  nights  are  short.  In  the 
winter  the  river  is  low ;  consequently,  the  sun  floats 
more  slowly,  and  the  nights  are  longer. 

The  Mashonas  reckon  the  year  as  made  up  of 
thirteen  months.  Each  is  named  from  some  distinct- 
ive characteristic,  as  the  month  of  the  winds,  or  the 
month  of  the  harvest.  Upon  one  occasion  a  month 
was  lost  count  of  by  the  natives  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Mr.  A.  D.  Campbell's  farm,  about  twenty  miles 
east  of  Salisbury.  It  happened  in  this  wise  :  In  con- 
sideration of  the  abundant  harvests,  which  had  just 
been  reaped,  a  time  was  set  aside  for  rejoicing.  For 
more  than  a  month  they  danced,  and  drank  beer,  and. 


MASHONA  CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS  221 

in  consequence,  were  so  continuously  drunk  that  they 
paid  no  attention  to  the  different  phases  of  the  moon. 
When  they  came  to  their  senses  the  new  month  was 
well  under  way,  yet  they  reckoned  that  they  were  still 
in  the  month  in  which  they  had  begun  their  carous- 
ings  ;  hence  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  year  there- 
after they  did  nothing  but  discuss  the  profound  prob- 
lem, "Is  the  present  month  the  month  it  is,  or  is  it 
the  month  it  isn't  ?  "  At  all  hours  of  the  day,  and  far 
into  the  night,  the  debate  continued — men,  women, 
and  children  entering  fervently  into  argument  over 
the  weighty  subject.  Opinion  was  about  equally 
divided,  and  it  is  difficult  to  say  how  long  the  dissen- 
sion might  have  lasted  had  not  one  day  a  large 
swarm  of  locusts  put  in  an  appearance.  The  natives' 
predilection  for  fried  locusts  led  one  and  all  into  the 
bush  to  collect  for  present  and  for  future  use.  By 
the  time  they  had  grown  tired  of  this  work  they 
found  that  the  season  for  hunting  field-rats  had 
begun,  and  off  they  went  again  into  the  wilderness. 
Thus  by  degrees  the  interest  in  the  lunar  controversy 
subsided ;  but  even  up  to  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of 
the  recent  native  rebellion,  there  were  many  who  still 
entertained  grave  doubts  regarding  the  question, 
"Is  the  present  month  the  month  it  is,  or  is  it  the 
month  it  isn't 


CHAPTER  XVI 


SIX  WEEKS'  SPORT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  RIVER 

Journey  to  a  New  Hunting  Field — The  Rev.  Isaac  Shimmin 
and  His  Lion  Adventure — Two  Cockney  Prospectors  Kill 
a  "  Rhinostrich  " — My  First  Rhinoceros — An  Invitation 
to  Hunt  with  the  Eyres — "Ally  Sloper"— Hunting  on 
Lemon  Creek — We  Chase  Lions — Arthur  Eyre  Kills  a 
White  Rhinoceros — En  Route  for  Dichwe — A  Big  Eland 
Herd — A  Prize  Buffalo — Hobnobbing  with  Tipsy  Mata- 
beles — Remains  of  an  Ancient  Fort  on  the  Angwa  River — 
Tracking  a  Wounded  Koodoo — Lions  Parade  about  our 
Camp — A  Day  with  Buffaloes — Return  to  Salisbury — A 
Town-Site  War. 

In  the  present  chapter  I  shall  give  an  account  of  six 
weeks  of  shooting,  in  order  to  convey  to  sportsmen  an 
idea  of  what  big  game  hunting  in  Mashonaland  was 
really  like  a  few  years  ago.  Upon  my  return  to  Salis- 
bury the  misfortune  befell  me  of  having  my  Enfield 
rifle  stolen,  and  I  was  therefore  under  the  great  dis- 
advantage of  being  obliged  to  purchase  new  guns,  the 
shooting  qualities  of  which  were  uncertain.  It  was 
on  September  12th  that  I  left  for  the  Angwa  River. 
The  "foot  and  mouth  disease,"  which  was  spreading 
over  the  country  among  the  cattle,  had  delayed  my 
departure,  and  before  I  had  gone  fifty  miles  from 
Salisbury  it  broke  out  among  the  oxen  which  were 
drawing  my  wagon.    Eventually,  however,  I  arrived 

223 


SIX    WEEKS'  SPORT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  RIVER  223 

at  the  Mining  Commissioner's  camp  near  the  Han- 
yani  River. 

I  there  met  the  Rev.  Isaac  Shimmin,  who  was  on 
his  way  to  Lo  Magondi's  to  establish  a  Wesley  an  mis- 
sion station.  Being  a  sportsman,  he  was  likewise 
intending  to  do  som_e  shooting  on  the  Angwa.  He 
had  killed  a  leopard,  and  had  taken  part  in  a  lion 
scrape,  where  he  exhibited  such  bravery  as  to  gain 
the  admiration  of  everyone.  The  incident  occurred 
in  the  early  part  of  1892,  on  the  road  between  Salisbury 
and  Umtali.  A  party,  consisting  of  Mr.  Shimmin, 
Mr.  C.  T.  Stevens,  and  two  others,  went  in  search  of 
a  wounded  lion,  which  was  concealed  in  a  thicket. 
When  they  came  within  fort}^  yards  of  the  bush,  the 
infuriated  beast  set  up  a  terrific  roaring  and  charged 
the  party.  Shimmin  took  aim,  but  was  not  aware 
that  his  rifle  was  locked,  and  therefore  was  somewhat 
delayed  in  making  a  shot.  In  the  meantime,  Stevens 
wounded  the  lion,  which  then  made  straight  for  him. 
Upon  firing,  he  immediately  jumped  behind  a  sapling, 
against  which  the  animal  sprang  with  such  force  as  to 
knock  him  backward  to  the  ground.  With  extraor- 
dinary presence  of  mind,  Stevens  stuck  out  his  foot, 
which  the  beast  seized  and  began  to  chew.  By  this 
time  Shimmin  had  his  gun  in  working  order  and  shot 
the  brute  from  a  distance  of  two  paces,  thus  saving 
his  companion's  life.  When  the  lion  made  his  first 
charge  the  other  men  bolted,  but  they  came  up  in 
time  to  give  him  a  final  shot  in  the  head. 

I  established  my  chief  camping-place  near  the  lime- 
stone caverns  of  Sinoia,  situated  between  the  Angwa 
and  Hanyani  rivers.  Engaging  some  guides  and 
carriers,  I  made  my  way  straight  to  the  Angwa,  which 
was  not  more  than  ten  miles  distant.  On  the  road  I 
met  two  cockney  prospectors,  recently  from  London, 


224  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FKONTIER 

who  on  the  day  previous  had  actually  killed  a  rhi- 
noceros. Their  description  of  their  experience  was  ex- 
tremely amusing.  Upon  sighting  the  beast  they  took 
it  to  be  a  "helephant,"  and  both  fired.  Through 
sheer  luck  one  bullet  penetrated  the  brain,  and  the 
animal  rolled  over  on  its  back,  with  its  feet  projecting 
heavenward.  As  the  bold  hunters  approached,  one 
cried  out,  "It's  no  helepliant !  It's  a  wagon  turned 
hupside  down."  "  G'wan  Bill !  "  said  the  other,  "it's 
a  rhinos trich  ! " 

At  dawn  on  the  third  morning,  before  I  had  risen 
and  dressed,  my  black  boys  ran  to  my  tent,  excitedly 
exclaiming,  in  subdued  tones,  "Inyamazona!  Inya- 
mazona  !  "  (Game.)  I  looked  across  the  flat  in  front 
of  our  camp,  and  saw  a  large  rhinoceros  walking  leis- 
urely along.  This  was  game  indeed.  Delaying  only 
to  put  on  my  shoes,  I  snatched  up  my  rifle  and  ban- 
dolier, and  ran  up  the  river  in  order  to  head  him  off. 
Slipping  cautiously  around  to  the  place  I  expected 
my  rhinoceros  to  pass,  I  peered  over  the  rise  and  down 
the  flat ;  but  there  was  no  rhinoceros  in  sight.  Turn- 
ing around,  I  was  astonished  to  see  him  staring  at  me, 
not  two  hundred  yards  away.  For  a  moment  it  seemed 
as  if  some  antediluvian  monster  had  been  suddenly 
resurrected.  Before  I  could  lift  my  rifle  he  wheeled, 
and  made  off  at  full  speed.  I  sent  a  flying  shot  after 
him,  but  missed,  and  then  gave  chase  on  foot.  At  the 
end  of  a  mile  I  was  fairly  left  behind,  and,  finally, 
when  quite  out  of  breath,  returned  to  camp,  shooting 
a  roan  antelope  on  the  way  as  a  sort  of  consolation 
prize. 

I  spent  most  of  the  day  working  on  the  antelope 
skin  and  deploring  my  failure  of  the  morning. 
Toward  evening  I  packed  my  carriers  and  started  for 
Sinoia.    We  had  proceeded  not  more  than  four  miles, 


SIX    WEEKS'  SPORT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  RIVER  225 

and  were  crossing  a  long  open  vlei,  when  to  my  great 
joy  I  espied  my  lost  rhinoceros  browsing  in  the  edge 
of  the  timber.  At  first  sight  the  animal  appeared  as 
large  as  an  elephant — just  as  my  two  English  friends 
had  said.  The  native  carriers  travelling  behind  me  at 
once  dropped  into  depressions  in  the  ground  and  con- 
cealed themselves.  Taking  cover  behind  mounds  of 
earth,  I  finally  reached  an  ant-heap  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  great  beast,  which  now  came  out  of  the 
bush  into  the  open.  I  took  aim  at  his  right  shoulder, 
as  he  was  walking  obliquely  towiard  me,  but  evidently 
I  did  not  pull  as  quickly  as  I  should,  for  the  bullet 
entered  his  side,  and  lodged  near  his  tail. 

To  my  astonishment  that  mountain  of  flesh  imme- 
diately jumped  up  and  down  like  a  bucking  horse, 
and  then  he  ran  in  a  circle,  as  if  chasing  his  tail. 
As  soon  as  he  began  these  antics  the  boys  bolted  for 
the  timber  where  they  could  climb  trees.  Apparently 
the  rhinoceros  saw  them,  for  he  now  came  charging 
toward  us,  pufiing  like  a  steam-engine.  I  thought  he 
was  going  to  run  by  me,  so  I  lay  quiet,  intending  to 
give  him  a  shot  as  he  went  past,  but  the  first  thing  I 
knew  he  was  coming  straight  for  me.  Evidently  he 
had  perceived  my  head  above  the  mound.  When 
twenty  steps  away  I  gave  him  a  shot  in  the  chest,  and 
had  barely  time  to  jump  to  one  side  before  he  ran 
over  the  mound,  stepping  on  the  very  spot  where  I  had 
been  lying.  He  swung  around  to  charge  me  at  short 
range,  and  as  he  turned  I  shot  him  through  the  lungs 
at  four  paces.  Then  he  rushed  straight  forward  for  a 
hundred  yards,  but  suddenly  changing  his  mind,  he 
wheeled  around,  and  once  more  started  toward  me. 
He  had  advanced  only  a  few  steps,  however,  when  he 
fell  dead.  I  ran  up  to  him,  jumped  on  his  side,  danced 
a  griffin' s  jig,  and  gloated  over  him  in  the  most  ap- 
15 


226  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

proved  fashion.  One  can  kill  Ms  first  rhinoceros  but 
once. 

It  was  now  sunset,  but  before  I  went  to  bed  that 
night  we  had  the  magnificent  specimen  nicely  skinned. 
Of  course  it  took  lively  work  and  plenty  of  it.  At 
eleven  o'clock  the  next  morning  the  wagon  reached 
the  scene  of  action,  and  after  loading  the  meat  and 
the  skin  we  returned  to  Sinoia. 

A  few  days  later  I  met  Mr.  Arthur  Eyre,  who  was 
making  preparations  for  a  big  hunting  trip  with  his 
brother  into  the  ^'fly  country  and  he  invited  me  to 
accompany  them.  Having  gladly  accepted  the  invita- 
tion, I  set  out  for  their  camp  at  Tchininga's,  and  ar- 
rived there  on  the  evening  of  the  24th.  I  found  them 
at  work  on  the  skin  and  skeleton  of  a  white  rhinoceros 
cow  which  Arthur  Eyre  had  recently  killed,  and  which 
they  were  preserving  as  a  museum  specimen.  This 
species  {Rhinoceros  simus)  is  now  almost  extinct. 
They  had  likewise  succeeded  in  capturing  a  calf 
alive.  He  was  a  vicious  little  animal,  and  charged 
everyone  who  came  near  the  body  of  his  mother.  The 
creature  was  given  the  distinguished  title  of  Ally 
Sloper,  and  he  had  the  honor  of  being  carried  for 
many  miles  on  a  framework  made  of  poles  and  sup- 
ported on  the  shoulders  of  an  army  of  loud-talking 
aborigines.  Nevertheless,  Sloper  persisted  in  dying, 
much  to  the  disappointment  of  his  captors.  Had  he 
lived  a  reasonable  time,  he  would  have  landed  in  Lon- 
don Zoo,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  rank 
luxury. 

On  September  27th  our  hunting  party,  consisting 
of  Arthur  Eyre,  Herbert  Eyre,  and  myself,  accom- 
panied by  thirty-two  carriers,  left  Tchininga's,  and 
went  nine  miles  northward  to  a  small  stream  which 
we  named  Lemon  Creek  on  account  of  the  large  lemon- 


SIX    WEEKS'  SPORT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  RIVER  227 

trees  growing  along  its  banks.  Numerous  fresh  tracks 
indicated  that  game  was  plentiful,  and  we  decided  to 
camp  there. 

During  the  two  days  following  I  killed  one  tsessebe, 
two  reed-bucks,  and  one  sable  antelope.  The  Eyres 
each  killed  some  buffaloes,  but  I  saw  none  of  the 
latter.  While  hunting  along  the  creek  the  second 
day,  I  came  across  some  natives  extracting  salt  from 
coarse  marsh  grass.  They  burned  the  grass  on  clay 
floors,  dissolved  the  ashes  in  water,  and  then  boiled 
the  solution. 

On  September  30th  Arthur  Eyre  started  for  Mount 
Domo  to  see  if  he  could  find  a  large  male  white  rhi- 
noceros which  he  saw  there  at  the  time  he  shot  the 
female.  As  I  was  going  hunting  that  morning  in  the 
same  direction,  we  travelled  together  for  about  a  mile. 
Some  distance  ahead  of  us  we  saw  three  animals 
which  appeared  to  be  roan  antelopes.  Arthur  looked 
at  them  through  his  glasses,  and  immediately  ex- 
claimed, ''Begorra,  they  are  lions!  Come  on!'' 
He  started  off  at  a  run ;  and  the  objects,  which 
proved  to  be  a  lioness  and  two  half-grown  cubs, 
soon  disappeared.  Arthur  was  about  twenty  steps 
in  front  of  me,  and  as  he  gained  a  rise  he  caught 
sight  of  the  lion  cubs  running  and  playing  together. 
Thinking  they  had  got  our  wind,  and  were  making 
off,  he  said  to  me,  ''Come  on.  Curio  !  They're  off !  " 
and  ran  hard  after  them.  We  had  gone  only  a  few 
steps  farther  when  I  saw  the  lioness  walking  leisurely 
along  with  her  head  down,  evidently  unaware  that 
enemies  were  near.  Arthur's  attention  was  so  taken 
up  by  the  cubs  in  front  that  he  had  not  noticed  the 
mother.  This  I  did  not  know,  but  thought  that  with 
characteristic  Irish  pluck  he  was  running  up  to  have 
a  shot  at  close  range.    Just  as  he  was  even  with  her, 


228  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

and  not  more  than  thirty  yards  distant,  the  lioness 
looked  around,  saw  him,  and  instantly  bounded  away. 
I  now  perceived  that  he  had  not  noticed  her,  and  as 
she  was  leaping  into  the  air  I  fired,  and  brought  her 
to  the  ground  with  a  bullet  through  her  spine. 

We  had  several  running  shots  at  the  cubs,  but  they 
disappeared  into  a  patch  of  tall,  dry  grass.  After 
making  an  unsuccessful  search  for  them,  we  sent  the 
boys  to  the  other  side  to  set  the  grass  on  fire,  while  we 
took  positions  to  windward.  As  for  the  young  lions, 
we  waited  in  vain,  for  the  only  thing  that  came  charg- 
ing from  the  flames  was  a  bush-pig,  which  I  also 
secured.  It  was  the  first  animal  of  the  kind  I  had 
seen,  and  seemed  to  be  a  variety  between  the  bush-pig 
of  the  Cape  Colony  and  the  beautiful  red  river-hog  of 
west  Africa.  This  ended  my  sport  for  that  day,  for 
I  spent  the  remainder  working  on  the  skins  of  the 
lioness  and  the  pig. 

On  the  evening  of  October  3d  Arthur  Eyre  returned 
from  his  hunt  at  Domo.  The  rhinoceros  had  been 
there  recently,  but  he  failed  to  find  it.  However, 
as  he  succeeded  in  killing  it  on  a  subsequent  occa- 
sion, I  shall  here  insert  a  description  of  the  hunt 
which  he  gave  in  a  letter  written  home  shortly  after- 
ward : 

^'I  started  off  with  eighteen  boys,  and  at  the  first 
pool  I  visited  at  Mount  Domo  (where  we  camped  when 
I  shot  my  first  white  rhino)  I  found  the  spoor,  but  it 
was  a  week  old.  I  went  around  to  all  the  pools,  and 
at  last  came  to  the  place  where  the  animal  had  drunk 
that  morning.  It  was  then  pretty  late,  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  and  I  was  a  long  way  from  my  camp 
on  the  Eacouty  River.  I  had  John  Bushman  with  me, 
who  is  really  a  wonderful  tracker,  so  I  decided  to  go 
a  little  way  on  the  spoor.    In  two  hours  we  came  up 


SIX    WEEKS'  SPOET  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  RIVER  229 

with  his  highness.  I  first  saw  him  feeding  one  hun- 
dred yards  off,  and  stalked  to  a  large  tree  which 
brought  me  thirty-seven  paces  from  him  (I  paced  it 
afterward).  Unluckily,  on  the  day  before,  the  back 
sight  was  knocked  off  the  303-rifie,  so  I  left  it  in  camp. 
For  some  seconds  I  stood  meditating  whether  to  use 
the  Gibbs-Metford  or  the  12-bore,  and  decided  in  favor 
of  the  former.  I  knew  I  could  not  shoot  the  beast 
through  the  brain,  as  he  was  so  huge ;  I  therefore 
aimed  just  below  the  ear  and  fired.  At  the  shot  he 
dropped  on  his  knees  and  then  came  charging  past 
me  (seven  paces).  John  let  drive  with  his  Martini, 
when  the  animal  dropped  on  one  knee.  I  thought 
at  the  time  that  he  was  going  to  fall,  but  he  did  not ; 
and  I  gave  him  another  shot  behind  the  shoulder. 

*'The  boy  with  the  12-bore  gun  had  fied  to  some 
trees,  so  I  was  left  with  but  one  rifie.  I  ran  after  the 
rhino,  and  had  I  not  expected  every  moment  to  see 
bim  fall,  I  could  have  given  him  at  least  three  more 
shots  before  he  got  out  of  sight.  I  continued  on  his 
spoor  till  after  sundown.  Luckily,  his  course  was  in 
the  direction  of  my  camp.  The  next  morning  I  was 
again  on  the  spoor  with  blankets  and  some  food,  fol- 
lowed all  that  day,  and  found  he  was  going  due  north. 
That  night  I  slept  on  the  trail,  sent  the  two  boys  back 
to  bring  on  the  camp  to  a  certain  point  about  ten 
miles  distant,  and  then  went  on  again  with  three  boys, 
following  the  tracks  till  two  in  the  afternoon,  thus 
allowing  time  to  get  back  to  camp,  which  I  reached  at 
sundown. 

"I  found  the  spot  where  the  rhinoceros  had  been 
rolling,  and  reckoned  this  to  be  at  least  thirty-five 
miles  from  where  I  had  shot  him.  Next  morning  I 
started  off  with  eleven  boys,  carrying  enough  food 
with  us  to  last  a  fortnight.    We  took  up  the  spoor  at 


230  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FEONTIER 


eleven  o'  clock  and  followed  till  after  sundown,  making 
a  skerm  to  sleep  in.  At  sunrise  the  following  morning 
we  were  off  again.  This  was  the  most  disagreeable  part 
of  the  hunt,  as  we  were  obliged  to  go  through  long, 
wet  grass,  ten  feet  high,  and  I  soon  became  drenched 
through.  At  nine  o'clock  we  overtook  the  rhinoceros, 
and  found  him  lying  fast  asleep  under  a  thick  bush. 
I  got  within  twenty  yards  of  him,  and  looked  through 
the  grass.  The  only  thing  I  could  see  was  his  ear 
wagging.  This  time  I  took  the  12-bore,  and  let  him 
have  it  behind  the  shoulders.  Up  he  jumped,  and  ran 
off  as  if  he  had  not  been  touched. 

"  We  ran  on  the  spoor  and  saw  any  amount  of 
blood.  Wherever  he  had  stood  there  were  pools  of  it. 
At  twelve  o'clock  I  came  up  to  him  again,  and  found 
him  lying  under  a  tree,  got  about  forty  yards  from 
him,  and  let  him  have  another  shot  with  the  12-bore 
on  the  off  side.  The  one  before  was  on  the  near  side. 
Off  he  went  again.  Then  I  took  the  303,  and  hit  him 
on  the  rear  hind-quarter,  when  the  blood  began  to 
come  from  his  nostrils.  Going  another  hundred  yards, 
he  dropped.  I  ran  up  and  jumped  on  his  back,  but 
the  boys  said  he  was  still  alive,  so  I  gave  him  another 
shot  with  the  303  behind  the  ear.  I  found  his  meas- 
urements to  be  as  follows  : 


Height   6  ft.  4  in. 

End  of  nose  to  tip  of  tail  13  ft.  8  in. 

Length  of  front  horn   2  ft.  11  >^  in. 

Length  of  small  horn   11^  in. 

Circumference  of  base  of  large  horn .  2  f t.  2  in. 


It  took  five  days  to  cure  the  hide  and  bones,  and 
seventeen  boys  to  carry  them  outside  the  'fly  country,' 
where  I  had  a  wagon  waiting.    Mr.  Rhodes  bought 


SIX    WEEKS'  SPOKT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  EIVER  231 

the  skin  and  skeleton,  *  and  presented  them  to  the 
Cape  Town  Museum,  where  both  now  are.  Rowland 
Ward,  of  London,  set  them  up,  and  made  a  splendid 
job  of  it.    It  is  the  record  specimen." 

After  sending  all  trophies  thus  far  collected  to 
Tchininga's  to  be  stored  at  Eyre's  camp,  our  party  left 
Lemon  Creek  for  a  place  called  Dichwe,  where  there 
were  said  to  be  great  numbers  of  game.  Our  carriers 
with  their  loads  made  quite  an  imposing  caravan  wind- 
ing across  the  flat  in  single  file.  At  about  eleven  o'  clock 
we  came  across  a  herd  of  eland.  While  the  rest  of 
the  party  continued  on  the  journey,  I  remained  be- 
hind with  my  boys  in  order  to  get  some  of  these  mag- 
nificent animals,  but  they  ran  away  before  I  could 
approach  near  enough  for  a  good  shot.  Tracing  their 
spoor  for  fully  four  miles  we  came  up  with  them 
again.  I  brought  down  two  young  bulls  before  the 
herd  was  well  underway,  and  killed  a  large  cow  as 
they  were  running  at  three  hundred  yards.  I  wounded 
a  big  bull,  and  had  to  pursue  him  for  several  miles 
before  overtaking  him.  All  were  fine  specimens,  and 
I  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  preserving  their  skins. 

Toward  evening  a  large  crowd  of  men,  women,  and 
children  from  Penyame's  kraal  came  for  the  "  in- 
yama"  (meat).  Indeed,  these  people  seem  possessed 
of  almost  supernatural  powers  for  scenting  meat. 
The  weather  being  dry  and  windy,  the  skins  cured 
rapidly,  so  that  the  natives  were  soon  able  to  carry 
my  specimens  to  Tchininga's.  Having  at  last  succeed- 
ed in  getting  the  meat-loving  savages  to  move  on  their 
homeward  journey,  we  started  again  for  Dichwe,  where 
we  arrived  an  hour  before  sunset.  Following  down 
the  little  river,  we  came  to  the  place  where  the  Eyres 
were  camped.  I  found  Herbert  sick  with  fever.  His 
*  The  price  paid  for  this  splendid  specimen  was  £250. 


232  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 


brother  had  been  out  again,  and  had  shot  a  young 
lion,  and  had  afterward  run  across  a  drove  of  five  hun- 
dred elands  !  He  had  killed  several  of  them,  and  said 
he  could  easily  have  secured  thirty. 

The  next  morning  I  went  out  with  Arthur  Eyre  to 
search  for  this  big  eland  drove.  We  had  not  gone  far 
from  camp  when  we  came  across  a  troop  of  roan  ante- 
lope, one  of  which  I  wounded.  They  ran  about  three 
hundred  yards  and  as  they  turned  to  look  at  us,  I  gave 
another  a  fatal  shot  through  the  lungs.  The  wounded 
one  sped  away,  and  Eyre  gave  chase  to  it,  while  I  re- 
mained behind  to  skin  the  one  killed.  I  had  almost 
finished  the  task  when  one  of  Eyre's  boys  came  run- 
ning back  to  tell  me  that  his  baas  had  found  the 
"mpofo"  (eland). 

Leaving  four  natives  to  complete  the  skinning  of  the 
antelope,  I  accompanied  the  guide.  We  had  run 
about  two  miles  when  we  discovered  Eyre  sitting 
under  a  tree.  He  was  out  of  breath,  his  face  was 
as  red  as  a  boiled  lobster,  and  he  was  using  im- 
polite language  about  his  bad  luck  that  morning  at 
shooting.  He  had  chased  the  elands  for  more  than  two 
miles,  had  fired  away  all  his  cartridges,  and  had  got 
nothing.  The  herd  had  divided  at  this  place,  so  Eyre 
took  up  the  spoor  of  one  lot,  and  with  my  boys  I  fol- 
lowed on  the  trail  of  the  other,  finally  overtaking  them. 

There  were  fully  one  hundred  in  my  bunch,  appar- 
ently all  cows  and  calves,  with  the  exception  of  one 
large  bull.  As  they  were  extremely  wary,  I  found 
great  diflaculty  in  getting  near  them.  Once  I  chanced 
a  shot  at  the  bull  as  he  stood  at  three  hundred  yards, 
but  fired  over  him,  when  the  herd  immediately  started 
off,  trotting  in  a  curve  and  eventually  taking  their 
course  up  wind.  I  ran  through  the  bushes,  and  fired  at 
them  again,  wounding  a  cow.    She  fell  behind  an  ant- 


SIX    WEEKS'  SPORT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  RIVER  233 

heap,  and  when  I  had  finished  her  with  another  bullet, 
I  found  that  my  first  shot  had  struck  her  horn  only, 
thus  merely  stunning  her.  Running  after  the  herd 
again  for  about  a  mile,  I  came  within  two  hundred 
yards  of  them  as  they  stood  in  a  clump  of  trees,  and 
brought  down  another  cow.  Covering  the  carcasses 
with  twigs  to  prevent  the  vultures  from  finding  them, 
I  returned  to  camp,  and  on  the  way  back  secured  a 
reed-buck  and  a  tsessebe,  each  with  a  single  shot.  As 
the  day  was  hot,  I  suffered  much  for  want  of  water, 
and  became  so  out  of  patience  with  the  niggers"  for 
their  stupidity  that  I  chastised  them  severely.  Upon 
returning  to  camp,  I  found  that  Eyre  had  succeeded 
in  killing  five  elands  out  of  his  herd. 

The  next  morning,  accompanied  by  a  party  of 
natives,  I  went  out  to  skin  my  antelopes.  We  had 
not  proceeded  far  when  we  saw  buzzards  circling 
around  a  grove  and  found  that  they  were  eating  the 
dead  body  of  the  roan  antelope  which  I  had  wounded 
the  day  before,  and  which  had  travelled  four  miles 
from  where  I  had  shot  it.  This  made  six  head  of  game 
that  I  had  killed  in  one  day,  five  of  them  with  a  single 
shot  each.  Later,  while  waiting  for  the  boys  to  tie  up 
the  skins,  a  large  buffalo  bull  came  running  past  us. 
As  he  was  disappearing  behind  some  bushes  near  an 
ant-heap,  I  fired  twice  at  him,  the  first  ball  entering 
his  flank,  while  the  second  penetrated  his  shoulder 
and  lodged  in  his  spine  between  the  first  and  second 
ribs,  bringing  him  struggling  to  the  ground.  As  I 
had  heard  that  buffaloes  are  dangerous  when  wounded, 
I  approached  carefully  from  behind,  and  gave  him  a 
shot  in  the  back  of  his  head  every  time  I  saw  his  ear 
wag,  finally  sending  a  bullet  into  his  brain. 

This  animal  carried  a  pair  of  tremendous  horns, 
each  measuring  three  feet  along  the  curve.    Up  to  this 


234  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 

time  I  liad  been  feeling  somewhat  chagrined  that  the 
Eyres  had  killed  several  buffaloes  while  I  had  not  even 
seen  one.  But  the  splendid  troph}^  now  obtained  was 
such  an  exceptionally  fine  one  that  it  made  up  for  all 
past  disappointments.  The  rest  of  the  day  I  spent  in 
the  drudgery  of  skinning  and  skeletonizing,  and  re- 
turned to  camp  long  after  dark.  As  Herbert  Eyre  was 
sick,  he  had  lent  me  his  gun — an  exceptionally  accu- 
rate Enfield — which  doubtless  accounted  largely  for 
my  two  days'  successful  shooting. 

After  curing  the  buffalo  skin  and  other  specimens, 
I  accompanied  the  carriers  with  them  to  my  camp  at 
Sinoia.  On  the  way  I  met  a  band  of  forty  Matabeles, 
who  had  been  on  a  hunting  trip  to  a  place  called 
Tchechenini,  where  there  were  numbers  of  black  rhi- 
noceroses. The  Matabeles  were  participating  in  a 
Mashona  "beer  drink,"  and  in  consequence  were  so 
tipsy  as  to  be  disagreeably  insolent,  while  assuming 
to  be  friendly.  Their  arms  consisted  of  large  elephant 
guns  and  rifles.  One  old  warrior,  while  dilating  upon 
the  excellent  qualities  of  his  rifle,  kept  it  at  full  cock 
pointing  at  my  stomach.  He  pretended  to  be  doing 
so  unconsciously,  but  I  noticed  that  whenever  I  made 
a  move  to  one  side,  the  gun  was  swung  around  until 
it  pointed  at  me  again.  Evidently  he  was  testing  my 
nerve.  I,  in  turn,  displayed  the  good  qualities  of  my 
fire-arms  by  giving  him  an  exhibition  of  my  skill  in 
the  use  of  a  Colt's  six-shooter  at  a  neighboring  stump. 

On  the  morning  after  our  return  to  Dichwe,  October 
17th,  we  broke  camp  and  started  for  the  Angwa  River. 
The  carriers  annoyed  us  greatly,  as  they  insolently 
persisted  in  whistling  during  the  journey,  thus  fright- 
ening away  the  game.  It  was  impossible  to  discover 
the  culprits,  as  the  other  Mashonas  would  not  inform 
against  their  friends.    We  reached  the  Angwa  the 


SIX    WEEKS'  SPORT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  RIVER  235 


next  day,  and  took  our  course  up  the  stream.  An- 
cient placer  diggings  were  numerous  there,  and  in  fact 
many  miles  of  both  banks  of  the  river  had  been  turned 
over  for  alluvial  gold,  some  of  the  excavations  being 
of  tremendous  size. 

Near  our  camping  site  were  the  remains  of  an  old 
fort,  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  square,  presumably 
Portuguese,  as  it  was  built  in  the  European  style  of 
fortress.   A  deep  trench  had  been  cut  on  three  sides 
and  the  dirt  thrown  inward,  while  the  ancient  river-bed 
lay  close  to  the  south  embankment.    At  two  corners 
were  large  heaps  of  earth,  apparently  bastions  for  the 
mounting  of  cannon,  and  at  the  centre  of  the  fort  was 
a  mound,  the  remains,  doubtless,  of  an  adobe  build- 
ing.  Around  this  there  had  been  an  adobe  wall,  and 
small  towers  had  been  built  at  the  corners  of  the  inner 
enclosure.    Evidently  the  fort  had  been  erected  for 
the  protection  of  the  mines.    The  appearance  of  the 
earthworks  did  not  indicate  an  age  of  more  than  fifty 
years,  but  judging  from  the  large  trees  which  were 
growing  over  the  ruins,  the  structure  may  date  back 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  and  even  more.  It 
was  in  a  convenient  place  for  water  and  in  a  posi- 
tion commanding  the  valley.     On  the  neighboring 
hills,  overlooking  the  surrounding  country,  were  the 
remains  of  what,  probably,  had  been  villas — the  resi- 
dences of  the  wealthy  mine  owners.    When  the  gold 
had  been  worked  out  to  the  greatest  extent  possible 
by  the  crude  appliances  used  in  earlier  centuries  in 
mining,  this  district  had  been  left  to  become  again  the 
haunt  of  savage  beasts.    In  viewing  these  scenes  of 
former  activity  I  was  led  to  wonder  if  a  similar  fate 
awaited  the  close  of  the  new  era  of  mining  which  was 
just  opening  in  Mashonaland. 
While  out  hunting  the  next  day  I  climbed  several 


236  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

ranges  of  hills,  endeavoring  to  obtain  a  bird's-eye  view 
of  the  picturesque  landscape  ;  but  as  there  seemed  al- 
ways to  be  a  higher  range  ahead  of  me,  I  became  dis- 
couraged and  turned  my  attention  again  to  hunting. 
I  soon  espied  a  herd  of  koodoo,  and  wounded  a 
large  bull.  He  galloped  off,  but  my  boys  followed 
the  tracks,  and  we  came  up  to  him  several  times  in  the 
thick  brush  where  we  could  not  see  him,  although  we 
could  hear  him  bounding  away  and  bellowing  at  each 
jump.  Whenever  the  animal  had  crossed  an  open 
space  he  turned  around  and  took  his  position  in  a 
thicket  where  he  could  see  us  approaching.  We  con- 
tinued on  the  spoor,  which  in  some  places  was  very 
hard  to  discern,  and  in  an  hour  and  a  half  we  overtook 
the  quarry  in  an  open  glade.  By  this  time  he  had  be- 
come weak,  and  in  a  dazed  condition  he  stopped  to  look 
around.  I  quickly  despatched  him  with  a  shot  in  the 
head.  He  was  a  fine  bull — exactly  what  I  wanted  for 
a  specimen.  We  skinned  him  and  then  returned  to 
camp  very  tired,  the  day  having  been  exceedingly  hot. 

That  night  a  troop  of  roaring  lions  paced  up  and 
down  the  river.  As  daylight  approached  they  retreat- 
ed into  the  hills,  and  when  it  had  become  light  enough 
to  search  for  them,  the  sound  of  their  sonorous  voices 
died  away  in  the  distance,  and  we  heard  them  no  more 
until  nightfall.  Just  before  sunset  we  were  vocally 
reminded  that  the  feeding  hour  of  the  menagerie  had 
arrived  ;  so  I  went  into  a  thicket  and  waited  where  I 
thought  the  animals  might  pass.  Their  tremendous 
roars  grew  louder  and  louder  as  they  drew  nearer,  but 
suddenly  the  noise  ceased,  and  a  little  later  I  heard 
a  big  crash  in  the  bushes  a  few  yards  up  the  ravine. 
It  was  now  too  dark  to  make  out  the  sights  of  my 
rifle,  and,  as  a  strong  smell  of  lion  came  wafted  down 
to  us  on  the  evening  breeze,  I  deemed  it  discreet  to  re- 


SIX    WEEKS'  SPOKT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  EIVER  237 


tire  to  camp.  They  soon  set  up  a  commotion  in  the 
place  where  I  had  noted  the  crash  in  the  bushes,  and 
remained  there  until  nearly  dawn,  roaring  as  though 
they  owned  the  earth.  I  concluded  that  they  had 
killed  an  antelope,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  light  I  went 
in  search  of  the  melodious  serenaders,  but  met  with 
no  success.  It  is  extremely  annoying  to  have  these 
brutes  prance  and  roar  around  one's  camp  all  the 
night,  when  the  advantage  is  on  their  side.  Although 
during  the  day  the  huntsman  may  scour  the  country 
over,  it  is  through  sheer  accident  that  he  runs  across 
one  unless  he  takes  with  him  a  pack  of  dogs  ;  but  this 
is  impracticable  in  the  fly -infested  districts. 

On  the  24th  the  Eyres  took  a  sudden  notion  to  give 
up  shooting  for  the  year  and  started  for  Spreckley's 
camp.  After  their  departure  I  spent  a  few  more  days 
in  successful  hunting  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  old 
fort,  and  then  moved  several  miles  farther  up  the 
river.  October  30th  was  a  great  day  among  buf- 
faloes. I  had  not  proceeded  far  from  the  camp  that 
morning  when  my  native  boy  pointed  out  a  herd 
standing  in  the  edge  of  the  water  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river.  By  creeping  up  behind  an  ant-heap  I 
got  within  a  hundred  yards  of  them,  but  as  they  were 
under  cover  of  the  bank,  I  could  not  obtain  a  suitable 
shot.  I  then  ran  to  a  clump  of  trees  near  the  water. 
Still  I  could  not  see  the  troop  on  account  of  the  reeds 
and  bushes,  but  they  evidently  became  aware  of  my 
close  proximity,  for  I  presently  heard  a  rumbling  of 
footsteps  and  knew  that  they  were  stampeding.  Mak- 
ing toward  the  place  where  I  heard  the  noise,  I  saw  the 
last  of  the  troop,  a  big  bull,  just  trotting  up  the  bank. 
He  stopped  for  a  moment  to  stare  at  me,  and  then 
galloped  after  the  rest.  I  fired  a  shot,  which  I  think 
missed  him.   There  would  have  been  time  to  get  in  an- 


238  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

other  shot  before  he  was  out  of  range  had  not  the  rim 
of  the  cartridge  become  curiously  caught  in  attempt- 
ing to  extract  it,  thus  delaying  me  for  some  minutes  ; 
but  by  doing  a  mile  of  hard  running  I  succeeded  in 
overtaking  the  herd,  and  killed  the  big  bull. 

I  pursued  them  two  miles  farther,  and  by  alter- 
nately running  and  walking,  as  my  breath  permitted, 
again  overtook  them.  As  they  tiled  between  some 
hills  I  counted  fifty  magnificent  animals.  Noting  the 
course  they  were  taking,  the  Mashona  and  I  ran  around 
a  hill  and  concealed  ourselves  in  a  thicket  in  front  of 
them.  Presently  the  buffalo  came  our  way,  and  choos- 
ing a  bull  that  seemed  to  carry  the  biggest  horns,  I  shot 
him  through  the  lungs.  As  the  drove  stampeded,  I 
fired  again  into  their  midst  and  hit  an  animal  which 
tumbled  down  and  rolled  over,  then  scrambled  to  his 
feet,  and  galloped  away  with  the  rest.  The  wounded 
bull  with  the  large  horns  soon  dropped  behind,  and 
when  I  was  within  two  hundred  yards  of  him  I  gave 
him  another  shot.  He  disappeared  behind  a  bush, 
where  he  lay  down  and  bellowed  as  he  died. 

The  herd  had  now  vanished  among  some  bush- 
covered  hills,  and  upon  following  the  spoor  for  a  few 
miles  more,  we  came  up  with  them.  I  wounded 
another  fine  bull,  which  immediately  left  his  com- 
panions and  charged  us  ;  but  we  ran  quickly  to  an  ant- 
heap  covered  with  thick  bushes,  where  we  concealed 
ourselves,  and  thus  eluded  the  infuriated  animal.  I 
waited  some  time  to  hear  his  dying  bellow  from  a 
patch  of  tall  grass  into  which  he  had  run  ;  but  at  last, 
overcome  by  impatience,  I  went  cautiously  into  the 
grass,  followed  by  the  nervous  Mashona,  who  scam- 
pered up  a  tree  whenever  he  heard  the  slightest  move- 
ment. Finally,  I  got  within  twenty  yards  of  the 
wounded  beast — he  had  by  this  time  become  so  ex- 


SIX    WEEKS'  SPORT  NEAR  THE  ANGWA  RIVER  239 

liausted  that  he  paid  little  heed  to  my  approach — and 
gave  him  a  finishing  shot.  This  animal  possessed  a 
beautiful  pair  of  horns,  with  which  I  was  greatly 
pleased  ;  and  I  returned  to  camp  that  afternoon  much 
elated  with  my  success.  On  the  way  back  we  saw 
grazing  on  the  meadows,  zebras,  wart-hogs,  tsessebes, 
and  reed-bucks,  all  of  which  were  very  tame,  but  as  I 
had  killed  as  much  game  as  I  wanted  for  that  day,  I 
made  no  attempt  to  shoot  any  of  them.  My  natives 
had  their  work  cut  out  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  in 
carrying  the  skins  and  meat  into  camp,  and  we  were  all 
busy  for  some  time  afterward  dressing  the  specimens. 

A  few  days  later  I  encountered  another  herd  of 
buffalo,  and  secured  two  more  fine  trophies.  Indeed, 
it  was  a  glorious  six  weeks  with  big  game,  but  the 
details  of  all  this  hunting  would  only  weary  the 
reader.  During  this  time  I  killed  forty-nine  head, 
and  the  Eyres  had  each  been  equally  successful  in 
their  efforts.  My  specimens  enumerated  in  detail  are 
as  follows :  One  black  rhinoceros,  six  buffaloes,  two 
Burchell's  zebras,  eleven  elands,  three  water-bucks, 
three  roan  antelopes,  two  sable  antelopes,  one  tsessebe 
antelope,  one  koodoo,  six  reed-bucks,  one  bush-buck, 
one  oribe  antelope,  one  lioness,  five  wild  dogs,  three 
wart-hogs,  one  bush-pig,  and  one  baboon. 

On  November  15th,  my  wagon  well  loaded  with 
trophies,  I  started  for  Salisbury,  and  a  week  later, 
after  considerable  delay  caused  by  the  heavy  rains 
which  had  set  in,  I  arrived  safely  at  my  destination. 
During  the  dry  season  a  number  of  brick  houses 
had  been  erected,  and  the  Government  buildings  were 
also  near  completion.  Companies  had  been  floated 
on  two  gold-mines,  one  at  Victoria  and  one  at  Hart- 
ley ;  and  some  gold  properties  had  been  sold  at  a 
good  figure  in  the  Mazoe  valley,  a  circumstance  which 


240  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

caused  a  rush  in  that  direction.  Twelve  miles  of  the 
Beira  Railway  had  been  constructed,  and  the  people 
of  Mashonaland  were  feeling  hopeful. 

Considerable  discontent,  however,  existed  among 
the  inhabitants  of  Salisbury  concerning  tlie  official 
management  of  the  place.  Early  in  the  year  a  new 
town  had  been  laid  out  adjoining  the  old  one.  The 
Government  buildings  were  situated  in  the  new  section, 
which  was  designated  the  Causeway,  as  opposed  to  the 
old  town,  which  was  known  as  the  Kopje.  An  effort 
was  made  by  the  officials  of  the  Chartered  Company 
to  induce  the  merchants  to  remove  to  the  Causeway, 
and  thus  build  the  town  on  that  side,  which  was  a 
much  better  locality.  The  merchants,  however,  had 
already  gone  to  considerable  expense  in  the  erec- 
tion of  buildings,  and  would  not  remove  unless  prop- 
erly compensated  by  the  Company  for  losses.  The 
demands  were  refused,  and  the  result  was  a  town-site 
war  in  good  old  Western  style  !  For  a  time  it  made 
the  Americans  feel  quite  at  home.  The  result  has  been 
a  divided,  scattered  town,  instead  of  a  compact  and 
united  one,  as  is  the  case  with  Bulawayo.  Even 
to-day  the  feud  continues  to  some  degree,  and  it  is 
much  to  be  lamented  that  the  Chartered  Company  did 
not  compromise  with  the  community  in  the  early 
stages  of  the  controversy.  The  incident  further  dem- 
onstrates that  even  in  the  wilds  of  Africa  it  is  folly 
to  expect  good  results,  when  a  government  opposes 
the  will  of  the  people,  especially  in  an  Anglo-Saxon 
community. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


LAW  AND  ORDER  IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS 

A  Visit  at  Bululu's— The  Chief  Caught  in  a  Lie— Threatened 
by  Savages — Nerve  Versus  Numbers — The  Field -Cornet 
Intervenes — At  the  Magistrate's  Court — The  Community 
Disgusted  with  the  Result  of  the  Trial — A  Smoking  Con- 
cert Follows — Dr.  Jameson  Speaks — Charley  Kettels 
Gives  Vent  to  His  Wrath — An  Attempt  to  Arrest  Wambe 
— An  Unexpected  Fusillade — An  Uncomfortable  Night — 
A  Triple  Murder — The  Capture— An  Attempted  Lynching 
— Dr.  Jameson  Quiets  the  Mob — Zulu  Jim  is  Hanged 

In  December,  1892,  accompanied  by  Messrs.  Eyre 
and  Hoste,  I  went  twenty  miles  east  of  Salisbury  to 
choose  a  suitable  place  for  pegging  farms.  Becoming 
short  of  food,  we  visited  a  village  ruled  over  by  a  chief 
named  Bululu,  a  Matabele,  who  had  fled  to  Mashona- 
land  to  escape  being  killed  by  Lo  Bengula,  whom  he 
had  offended.  Through  shrewdness,  Bululu  had  be- 
come the  head  of  a  large  Mashona  village,  and  had 
waxed  rich  in  cattle  and  sheep.  Arriving  at  his  kraal, 
we  inquired  if  we  could  trade  with  his  people  for 
meal  or  grain.  The  chief  insolently  replied  that  they 
had  none.  By  his  demeanor  we  suspected  that  he  was 
telling  lies,  and  as  we  were  extremely  hungry,  we  felt 
no  little  disappointment. 

Never  thinking  for  a  moment  of  committing  any 
offence,  I  sauntered  to  some  grain-bins  near  at  hand, 

16  241 


242  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

peered  in,  and  discovered  that  tliey  were  full.  Evi- 
dently annoyed  at  being  caught  in  a  lie,  the  induna 
began  talking  to  me  vehemently  in  the  Matabele 
tongue,  which  I  could  not  understand.  He  became 
wroth,  and  seized  a  stone  to  throw  at  me.  In  attempt- 
ing to  wrest  it  from  his  hand,  I  pushed  him  to  the 
ground.  He  immediately  jumped  to  his  feet,  gave  a 
w^ar  whoop,  and  rushed  into  his  hut.  We  could  hear 
him  pulling  down  his  rifle  and  spears  from  the  wall. 
Immediately  following  the  war  whoop  there  was 
general  commotion  among  the  natives  about  the  vil- 
lage, and  twenty-five  of  Bululu's  most  faithful  fol- 
lowers rushed  into  their  huts  for  their  arms.  The 
majority  of  the  men,  and  all  the  women  in  the  kraal, 
were  vigorously  protesting  against  their  action,  but 
before  we  had  time  to  think,  the  chief  and  his  twenty- 
five  supporters  appeared  in  front  of  us,  armed  with 
spears,  rifles,  and  muzzle  -  loading  guns.  Bululu 
was  in  a  terrible  rage,  and  backed  by  his  group  of 
loyal  allies,  stood  in  a  menacing  attitude  about  ten 
steps  in  front  of  us,  buckling  on  his  bandolier  full  of 
cartridges,  and  jabbering  as  fast  as  his  tongue  would 
work. 

The  natives  had  taken  it  for  granted  that  we  were 
unarmed,  and  they  were  struck  with  consternation 
when  we  each  produced  a  six-shooter.  We  felt  no 
great  alarm,  as  we  surmised  that  they  were  a  lot  of 
braggadocios.  Of  this  we  were  not  certain,  however, 
but  were  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  idiosyncrasies 
of  the  Kafir  nature  to  know  that  fatal  consequences 
might  ensue,  if  on  our  part  we  showed  the  slightest 
signs  of  fear.  The  Mashonas  at  least  cannot  conceive 
of  bravery,  unless  there  is  power  behind  it,  and  when 
one  or  two  men  present  a  bold  front,  these  natives  will 
often  desist  from  violence,  believing  that  a  large  force 


LAW  AND  ORDEE  IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS  243 

may  be  lying  concealed  in  the  bushes  near  at  hand, 
ready  to  help  in  case  of  trouble. 

Noticing  that  the  chief  and  one  of  his  companions 
were  armed  with  Martini-Henry  rifles,  which  Mashonas 
were  not  supposed  to  carry  in  those  days,  I  suspected 
that  they  were  the  ones  which  had  been  stolen  from 
me  three  months  before.  I  asked  of  Bululu  the 
privilege  of  examining  them  ;  but  his  wrath  had  not 
yet  subsided,  nor  had  the  frenzy  into  which  his  fol- 
lowers had  worked  themselves.  As  we  advanced, 
they  kept  backing  away,  vituperatively  showering 
upon  us  all  the  malignant  epithets  of  their  lan- 
guage, and  never  allowing  us  to  get  nearer  than  three 
paces,  until  finally  we  had  backed  them  completely 
out  of  the  village  through  a  gate  in  the  stockade. 
Still  they  would  not  let  us  approach  closer  than  tliree 
or  four  yards,  but  it  was  sufficiently  near  to  strength- 
en my  belief  that  the  rifles  were  mine.  Suddenly,  I 
made  a  big  bound  forward  and  grabbed  the  chiefs 
rifle,  but  had  a  lively  struggle  before  wresting  it  from 
him.  The  Mashonas  stood  looking  on  in  amazement, 
but  when  I  had  disarmed  their  leader,  and  had  made 
a  move  toward  the  savage  who  held  the  other  rifle,  the 
entire  crowd  lost  heart,  bolted  into  the  bed  of  the 
river,  and  disappeared  among  the  bushes  and  rocks 
like  a  troop  of  baboons. 

Complaint  was  made  to  the  field-cornet  (a  sort  of 
magistrate  in  the  district)  of  the  armed  menace  on  the 
part  of  Bululu  and  his  men,  but  as  this  officer  had 
only  recently  been  appointed  to  his  position,  he  was 
somewhat  puzzled  to  know  just  what  course  to  pursue, 
and  so  concluded  to  take  the  case  to  Salisbury  to  be 
decided  by  the  magistrate  there.  Bululu  was  there- 
fore put  under  arrest  by  the  field-cornet,  and  we  all 
started  for  Salisbury.    As  the  roads  were  muddy,  two 


244  O^'  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 

days  were  required  for  the  journey.  The  first  night  on 
the  road  the  chief  escaped.  The  next  afternoon  we 
arrived  at  Salisbury,  and  were  surprised  to  meet  at 
the  edge  of  the  town  Bululu's  brother  with  letters  from 
the  magistrate  of  Salisbury  to  the  field-cornet,  inform- 
ing the  latter  that  three  white  men  had  been  trespass- 
ing at  Buluhvs  kraal,  and  that  he  had  better  inves- 
tigate the  affair  and  bring  the  transgressors  to  justice. 
We  were  astonished,  and  likewise  puzzled  to  know 
by  what  agencies  affairs  had  taken  this  turn.  Subse- 
quently we  learned  that  a  fugitive  from  justice — a  semi- 
educated  Kafir  from  Xatal,  who  was  being  harbored  at 
Buluhv  s  at  this  time— had  artfully  advised  the  natives 
to  forestall  our  plans  by  lodging  complaint  with  the 
authorities  at  Salisbury  before  our  arrival  there,  and 
thus  save  themselves  from  possible  punishment. 

Scarcely  had  we  arrived  at  Salisbury  when  we  were 
served  with  notice  to  appear  the  following  day  at  the 
magistrate's  court,  in  order  to  answer  to  a  charge  of 
trespassing  in  Bululu  s  kraal.  We  laid  a  counter- 
charge against  the  Mashonas,  but  this  was  looked 
upon  by  the  officials  as  a  retaliatory  move  on  our 
part.  I  proved  to  be  the  only  white  transgressor,  and 
was  hence  fined  £3  for  looking  into  the  grain-bins. 
Two  Mashonas  who  were  brought  in  from  the  village 
were  each  fined  a  cow — presumably  on  general  princi- 
ples. Here  the  matter  would  probably  have  dropped 
had  not  the  magistrate  taken  the  pains  in  court  to 
inform  the  natives  that  the  white  men  had  been  appro- 
priately punished  for  looking  into  their  grain-bins, 
and  that  they  must  not  feel  under  any  obligations  to 
sell  food  to  settlers  and  prospectors.  This,  of  course, 
was  good  English  law ;  but  the  careful  explanation 
made  of  it  to  the  natives,  and  the  slight  punishment 
inflicted  for  threatening  white  people,  although  the 


LAW  AND  OEDEE  IN  THE  EAELY  DAYS  245 

occasion  seemed  trivial,  was  sufficient  to  rouse  the  in- 
dignation of  the  community.  The  inhabitants  felt 
that  if  the  native  population  should  come  to  think 
that  they  are  under  no  obligation  to  white  men,  and 
should  perceive  that  no  cognizance  is  taken  of  armed 
menace,  that  with  their  proneness  to  mistake  leniency 
on  the  part  of  the  whites  for  cowardice,  they  would 
be  liable  to  take  full  advantage  of  the  situation,  and 
hence  become  a  serious  source  of  danger  to  the  pros- 
pectors and  farmers  scattered  over  the  country. 

The  three  men  brought  up  for  trial  immediately  re- 
signed as  volunteers  in  the  Mashonaland  Horse.  Their 
resignation  was  followed  by  that  of  others,  who 
argued  that  the  aborigines  were  being  favored  at  the 
expense  of  the  Europeans.  In  consequence,  the  Char- 
tered Company's  officials  became  somewhat  alarmed 
concerning  the  falling  off  in  numbers  from  the  standing 
army  of  the  country.  A  new  trial  was  promptly  insti- 
tuted. The  chief,  Bululu,  was  arrested,  brought  before 
the  magistrate,  fined  seven  head  of  cattle  and  a  gun, 
and  warned  that  if  he  and  his  people  ever  again 
threatened  white  men  with  guns  and  spears,  severe 
punishment  would  be  inflicted. 

A  few  evenings  later  a  smoking  concert  for  the  Ma- 
shonaland Horse  was  given  at  Hatfield  Hall  by  the 
Administrator,  Dr.  Jameson.  Those  of  the  volunteers 
who  had  recently  resigned  were  tendered  cordial  in- 
vitations to  be  present,  with  the  exception  of  myself. 
Dr.  Jameson  made  a  speech  bearing  on  the  incidents 
just  narrated.  Happening  on  Pioneer  Street  at  the 
time,  I  stepped  to  the  window  of  Hatfield  Hall  and 
peered  in  upon  the  appreciative  audience,  many  of 
whom,  between  patronizing  shouts  of  "Hear  !  hear  !  " 
were  casting  wistful  glances  toward  the  bar-room  door. 
The  Doctor  was  just  then  saying  something  funny 


246  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

about  "  the  enterprising  young  man  who  looked  into 
the  corn-bins."  Prolonged  shouts,  clapping  of  hands, 
and  stamping  of  feet  succeeded  the  termination  of  the 
popular  Administrator's  speech.  With  the  subsidence 
of  applause  came  the  musical  popping  of  corks,  follow- 
ing which  was  the  drinking  of  Dr.  Jameson's  health, 
accompanied  by  more  music  in  the  rousing  song,  ^'  For 
He's  a  Jolly  Good  Fellow,"  reaching  a  climax  in  the 
good  old  Anglo-Saxon  "Hip,  hip,  hurrah !  " 

While  the  singing  was  going  on  at  its  fullest,  old 
Charley  Kettels  came  staggering  up  the  street,  "agin 
the  government"  in  genuine  Irish  fashion.  Now  and 
again  Charley  stopped,  balanced  himself  on  his  shaky 
legs,  and  shouted,  indignantly,  "Yes,  3^ell,  you 
bounders ;  yell,  yell^  yell.  You  think  this  country 
belongs  to  Dr.  Jameson,  do  you,  you  blank  bounders  % 
This  isn't  Dr.  Jameson's  country,  nor  Mr.  Rhodes's 
country,  nor  none  of  them  beggars'  country.  This  is 
our  country.  We're  the  pioneers  of  this  country. 
Who's  Rhodes?  Blank  him."  Having  somewhat 
appeased  his  wrath,  Charley  made  an  attempt  to  move 
homeward,  but  whenever  there  was  a  renewal  of  the 
cheering,  indignation  overcame  the  old  man,  and  he 
turned  around,  reiterating,  "Yes,  yell,  you  blank 
bounders,"  etc. 

With  "He's  a  Jolly  Good  Fellow,"  the  crowd  con- 
tinued drinking  the  health  of  the  various  officials  pres- 
ent, from  the  highest  downward,  until  the  singing  and 
cheering  became  so  voluble  that  the  pigeons  roosting 
near  the  roof  went  blindly  fluttering  about,  disturbed 
by  the  insecurity  of  the  vibrating  rafters.  When  there 
was  no  one  left  sufficiently  prominent  or  important  to 
have  his  health  drunk,  the  meeting  closed  with  "  God 
Save  the  Queen,"  and  the  Mashonaland  Horse  was 
placed  once  more  on  a  popular  footing. 


LAW  AND  ORDER  IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS  247 

Shortly  after  the  Bululu  affair  an  incident  occurred 
which  portrays  some  of  the  Mashona's  traits  of  char- 
acter. I  was  made  special  constable  by  the  Chief  of 
Police  for  the  purpose  of  arresting  a  native  named 
Wambe,  who  had  stolen  some  blankets  from  me.  The 
village  at  which  the  offender  resided  was  on  the  Han- 
yani  Kiver,  ten  miles  from  Salisbury.  I  arrived  at  the 
place  one  evening  at  about  sunset.  The  men  were  out- 
side the  kraal  sitting  around  a  fire  on  top  of  a  big  ant- 
heap,  with  Wambe  among  them.  As  soon  as  he  saw 
me  he  ran  down  off  the  ant-heap,  endeavoring  to 
elude  my  observation.  I  galloped  after  him,  but  he 
dodged  me  so  artfully  that  he  escaped  among  the 
rocks.  I  returned  to  the  village,  and  as  I  rode  along 
the  stockade  there  was  a  fusillade  of  muzzle-loading 
guns  from  within  the  kraal,  most  of  the  bullets  going 
over  my  head.  I  was  somewhat  dazed  at  this  mili- 
tary display,  but  I  did  not  realize  that  they  were  in- 
tentionally firing  at  me  until  I  rode  through  the  gate 
into  the  village,  where  a  native,  leaning  over  the  side 
of  a  hut  at  a  few  j^ards'  distance,  fired  at  me  point 
blank,  the  bullet  missing  my  shoulder. 

A  frenzied  crowd  of  savages  armed  with  spears 
immediately  surrounded  me,  all  jabbering  at  once. 
The  affair  seemed  serious  ;  but  as  I  did  not  dare  to 
show  the  least  sign  of  being  unnerved,  I  dismounted, 
told  them  there  was  no  need  of  excitement,  and  ad- 
vised them  to  cool  down  in  order  that  we  might  come 
to  an  understanding.  The  guns  had  now  all  disap- 
peared. I  asked  them  what  they  meant  b}^  shooting  at 
me,  bat  they  promptly  denied  having  fired  and  put  on 
an  air  of  innocence,  saying,  "  Why,  we  didn' t  see  any 
guns.  There  are  no  gans  here."  Then  they  remarked 
to  one  another,  ^' I  didn't  see  any  guns.  You  didn't 
see  any,  did  you?"    "No;  nobody  has  any  guns 


248  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

here."  I  told  them  that  they  had  committed  a  seri- 
ous offence,  and  that  if  I  were  to  report  the  matter, 
they  might  be  severely  punished.  Then  they  said, 
patronizingly,  that  they  didn't  know  it  was  "  Blough  " 
(Brown),  or  they  would  not  have  done  it.  They  had 
thought  it  was  the  Hoovernmentie"  (Government 
or  Company  Police).  I  succeeded  in  getting  one  old 
fellow  to  give  me  some  mealies  for  my  horse,  but  the 
crowd  was  still  so  excited  that  I  could  obtain  nothing 
to  eat  myself. 

I  lay  down  by  a  fire  in  an  open  hut,  through  which 
the  wind  was  blowing  briskly.  The  night  was  cool, 
as  nights  often  are  in  May.  About  midnight  my 
slumbers  were  disturbed  by  the  burning  of  my  coat. 
I  had  hugged  the  embers  so  closely  that  a  hole  was 
burned  through  to  my  skin.  I  then  turned  my  back 
to  the  blaze,  but  was  awakened  later  by  a  similar  ca- 
tastrophe. The  rest  of  the  night  I  spent  in  guarding 
the  fire.  As  soon  as  it  was  light  I  went  out  into  the  vil- 
lage, but  there  was  not  a  soul  to  be  found — only  a  few 
chickens  and  some  native  dogs.  As  I  had  shown  no 
fear,  the  people  had  apparently  become  suspicious, 
possibly  of  my  being  charmed.  In  an}^  event,  they 
had  mysteriously  disappeared.  It  seems  impossible 
for  civilized  man  to  understand  the  feelings  and  mo- 
tives which  prompt  the  queer  actions  of  primitive  peo- 
ple. As  I  had  got  the  worst  of  the  Bululu  case,  I 
made  no  report  of  this  incident  to  the  Government. 

People  in  distant  countries  are  prone  to  criticise 
the  residents  of  African  colonies  for  bearing  what  is 
termed  "race  hatred"  toward  the  blacks.  If  those 
distant  and  well-meaning  critics  might  have  brought 
to  their  doors  the  dastardly  outrages  and  pitiful 
tragedies  enacted  by  the  blacks  against  the  whites 
in  these  frontier  countries,  there  is  not  the  slightest 


LAW  AND  ORDER  IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS  349 

doubt  that  the  white  colonists  would  be  regarded 
with  more  leniency  than  at  present.  One  of  these 
tragedies  took  place  in  Mashonaland  in  the  early  part 
of  1893.  The  chief  actor  in  this  was  a  Zulu  named 
Jim.  He  was  a  slenderly  built  Kafir,  about  five  feet 
four  inches  in  height,  with  clean-cut  features.  To  all 
appearances,  he  was  intelligent  and  of  an  amiable  dis- 
position. Nevertheless,  he  committed  one  of  the  most 
atrocious  murders  on  record,  killing  three  victims  out- 
right and  leaving  a  fourth  to  die.  What  prompted 
Jim  to  do  the  cowardly  deed  is  a  mystery.  What 
prompts  African  savages  generally  to  commit  the 
awful  murders  of  which  they  are  often  guilty,  can  only 
be  explained  by  the  inborn  blood-thirstiness  of  their 
race,  added  to  the  fact  that  the  negro  acts  almost 
solely  by  impulse,  without  the  use  of  reason  or  judg- 
ment, and  with  little  thought  of  consequences. 

The  tragedy  occurred  thirty  miles  east  of  Salisbury, 
on  the  Umtali  road.  Jim  was  under  arrest  for  steal- 
ing cattle  from  his  baas,  Mr.  Grady  ;  and  he  was  now 
conducting  the  latter  from  one  place  to  another  over 
the  country  under  pretence  of  showing  where  the  cattle 
were  concealed.  Grady  suspected  that  the  Kafir  was 
leading  him  about  with  the  hope  of  making  his  escape. 
In  consequence,  Jim  was  watched  closely  and  his  legs 
were  secured  with  fetters. 

On  the  morning  of  the  fatal  incident  the  wagon  was 
outspanned  by  the  side  of  the  road.  Grady  was  sick 
with  fever  and  was  reclining  on  the  ground  a  short  dis- 
tance away.  Mrs.  Grady  was  occupied  in  cooking 
breakfast.  A  man  named  MacKenzie,  who  was  trav- 
elling with  them,  was  lying  near  the  wagon,  also 
feeble  with  fever.  The  driver  had  gone  to  a  neighbor- 
ing farm  for  milk,  and  the  leader  was  away  with  the 
oxen.    Jim  happened  to  be  sitting  in  the  front  of  the 


250  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAX  FKOXTIEK 

wagon  within  reach  of  a  rifle  and  a  bandolier  full  of 
cartridges.  Seizing  the  rifle,  he  fired  at  Grady,  the 
bullet  penetrating  his  neck  near  the  spinal  column, 
and  paralyzing  him.  Grady  shouted  to  Jim  to  spare 
his  wife  and  child,  and  told  his  wife  to  give  the  Kafir 
the  ke}^  that  he  might  loosen  the  leg  irons.  As  soon 
as  the  culprit  was  free  he  jumped  to  the  ground,  and 
fired  at  Mrs.  Grady,  who  ran  when  she  saw  his  inten- 
tion, the  bullet  blowing  the  head  off  the  child  which 
she  held  in  her  arms.  Another  discharge  ended  her 
life.  Before  MacKenzie  could  make  a  move  for  de- 
fence he  was  shot.  Jim  now  fired  again  at  his  master, 
and  evidently  believed  that  he  had  killed  him.  He 
went  to  the  wagon,  took  some  money,  beads,  and  am- 
munition, and  then  started  toward  Grad}^  who  was 
still  alive  and  conscious  of  what  was  going  on.  Think- 
ing that  Jim  was  coming  to  cut  his  throat,  he  feigned 
death ;  hence  the  Kafir  only  searched  his  pockets  for 
money.  Hearing  the  noise,  the  leader  came  to  the 
wagon  to  see  what  was  happening.  As  soon  as  Jim 
saw  him  he  fired,  but  the  boy  fied,  escaping  with  only 
a  scratch.  Having  supplied  himself  liberally  with 
plunder,  the  murderer  took  his  departure. 

The  driver  upon  returning  discovered  what  had 
been  done  and  immediately  reported  the  matter  to  a 
neighboring  farmer.  Friends  soon  arrived,  but  they 
were  unable  to  do  anything  to  assist  Grady,  as  he 
screamed  whenever  anyone  attempted  to  approach 
him  ;  hence  he  lay  on  his  back  until  the  arrival  of  the 
doctor,  which  was  many  hours  later.  After  Grady's 
evidence  was  taken,  he  was  removed  to  Salisbury  and 
placed  in  the  hospital,  where  he  lingered  in  a  delirious 
state  until,  some  weeks  later,  death  put  an  end  to  his 
suffering. 

As  the  shades  of  night  gathered  over  a  newly  made 


LAW  AND  ORDER  IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS  251 


clearing  a  few  evenings  after  the  tragedy,  a  pioneer  sat 
smoking  his  pipe  by  the  side  of  his  African  hut,  in  the 
outskirts  of  Salisbury.  He  observed  three  dusky 
figures  crossing  his  field.  Indignant  at  the  impudence 
of  Kafirs  in  trespassing  upon  his  possessions,  he  went 
out  to  turn  them  back.  Two  were  naked  Mashonas, 
carrying  packs  on  their  shoulders  ;  but  the  third  was 
a  slenderly  built  black  man  fairly  well  dressed,  wear- 
ing a  broad-brimmed  felt  hat. 

"I  should  think,"  said  the  pioneer,  that  an  intel- 
ligent Colonial  boy  like  yourself  would  have  sense 
enough  to  follow  the  road  and  not  trespass  upon  a 
man's  newly  ploughed  ground." 

"Please,  master,  let  me  go  through  this  time," 
meekly  replied  the  boy  with  the  broad-brimmed  hat. 

"  No,  go  straight  back  to  the  road  and  don' t  let  this 
happen  again." 

Without  another  word  the  Kafir  turned  back,  and 
as  the  pioneer's  dogs,  with  over-exuberance  of  spirits, 
rushed  after  the  trio,  the  Mashona  carriers  turned  to 
drive  them  away,  with  ''Vootsake  damity,  vootsake 
damity ! "  The  little  man  with  the  broad-brimmed 
hat  showed  no  fear  of  them  nor  paid  the  slightest 
attention  to  aught  about  him,  but  rapidly  wended  his 
way  toward  Salisbury  with  eyes  cast  upon  the  ground, 
apparently  absorbed  in  some  serious  question.  This 
the  pioneer  observed,  but  little  did  he  dream  that  it 
was  Zulu  Jim,  the  murderer. 

The  same  blind  inconsistency  of  the  Kafir  nature 
displayed  by  Jim  in  committing  the  murder  seems  to 
have  accompanied  his  impulse  to  visit  Salisbury.  Ar- 
riving there  after  dark,  he  went  to  a  hut  on  the  brick- 
fields where  Kafirs  were  in  the  habit  of  congregating. 
Long  Tail  Charley,  who  had  heard  of  the  murder, 
recognized  him,  but  said  nothing  to  him  about  the 


252  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


affair.  Jim  asked  Charley  to  go  over  to  town  and  buy 
a  pipe  and  some  tobacco  for  him.  The  latter  undertook 
the  errand,  but  went  instead  to  the  Chief  of  Police,  and 
inquired,  in  the  most  innocent  way,  if  Jim  had  been 
caught.  The  officer  was  at  once  seized  with  the  idea 
of  placing  Charley  on  the  detective  force. 

"Look  here,  Charley,  I  think  you'd  be  a  good  man 
to  help  us  catch  Jim.  If  you  can  get  any  trace  of 
him  that  will  lead  to  his  arrest,  I  will  give  you  £30." 

Charley  answered,  "All  right,  baas,  I'll  see  what  I 
can  do  about  it." 

He  returned  to  the  brick-fields,  took  a  brother  Kafir 
into  his  confidence,  and  attempted  the  capture.  After 
a  fearful  struggle,  Jim  biting  like  a  fiend,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  binding  the  murderer  hand  and  foot.  Char- 
ley left  his  assistant  in  charge,  returned  to  the  police 
station,  announced  that  he  had  caught  Jim,  and  in 
turn  received  his  £30  reward.  He  did  not,  however, 
share  with  his  brother,  as  he  had  promised,  nor  did 
he  pay  any  of  the  numerous  debts  which  he  owed. 

The  day  after  the  capture  there  was  much  secret 
talk  of  lynching  among  the  inhabitants  of  Salisbury, 
but  somehow  the  l3mchers  could  not  keep  the  matter 
to  themselves,  and  broad  hints  were  floating  about  the 
town  concerning  what  was  likely  to  happen.  Jim  was 
secured  in  the  brick  police  station  at  the  Kopje.  Al- 
most the  entire  community  were  gathered  on  Pioneer 
Street  that  night,  and  there  was  no  longer  any  attempt 
at  secrecy  as  to  the  intention  of  the  mob.  There  was 
a  fair  amount  of  priming  with  good  Scotch  whiskey 
to  give  what  is  termed  in  South  Africa  "Dutch 
courage." 

The  mob  collected  in  front  of  the  bakery,  the  baker 
assuming  the  leadership.  Under  the  veranda  of 
Meikle's  store,  just  opposite  the  bakeshop,  was  a 


LAW  AND  ORDER  IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS  253 

large  coil  of  heavy  mining  rope.  The  baker  stretched 
this  across  the  street,  went  into  his  shop,  brought  out 
a  big  panful  of  grease,  rolled  up  his  sleeves,  and 
went  marching  to  and  fro  oiling  the  rope,  at  the  same 
time  dilating  upon  what  ought  to  be  done  with  the 

damned  nigger."  The  excitement  became  intense. 
The  more  law-abiding  citizens  were  trying  to  dissuade 
the  mob  from  their  intentions,  but  nothing  would 
satisfy  them  short  of  "  skinning  the  nigger  alive." 

One  prominent  German  citizen  was  vigorously  pro- 
testing, "Ye  must  not  forgot  dat  ve  vas  loyal  Prit- 
ish  subjects  !  It  vill  never,  never  do  to  dishonor  the 
flag  of  our  Queen  by  such  lawlessness  as  only  vas 
zuitable  in  oncivilist  countries  like  America." 

When  the  baker  had  greased  the  rope  sufficiently, 
the  mob  gave  three  cheers  and  started  for  the  police 
station,  carrying  with  them  hemp  enough  to  hang  a 
dozen  niggers.  The  men  in  charge  of  the  criminal 
hustled  him  out  when  they  heard  the  yelling,  but  he 
was  so  shaky  on  his  legs  that  they  could  scarcely 
drag  him  along,  and  had  to  keep  telling  him  that  he 
would  be  skinned  alive  if  he  did  not  hurry.  They 
took  him  out  of  the  town,  it  is  presumed  to  the  nur- 
sery farm.  When  the  crowd  reached  the  station  they 
demanded  of  the  sergeant  the  keys  to  the  cell,  but  the 
faithful  officer  stanchly  refused  to  surrender  them. 
This  difficulty  was  easily  surmounted  by  holding 
him  up  by  his  legs  and  shaking  him  until  the  keys 
dropped  out  of  his  pocket  to  the  floor.  When  the 
cell  was  opened,  and  it  was  discovered  that  the  victim 
was  missing,  the  mob  became  infuriated,  and  with 
wild  yelling  began  to  run  toward  the  jail,  which  was 
on  the  other  side  of  the  town.  At  the  bridge  across 
the  ravine  the  Chief  of  Police  came  riding  up,  and 
by  talking  to  the  boys  soothingly,  tried  to  persuade 


254 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


them  out  of  their  nonsense.  One  of  the  crowd  said  to 
him,  confidentially,  "Look  at  here,  Captain  White. 
You'd  better  go  home  and  go  to  bed.  Otherwise,  the 
mob  may  take  you  for  the  nigger  and  hang  you." 

As  they  approached  the  jail,  Law,  the  jailer,  came  out 
with  his  three  native  police  guards  and  ordered  them 
to  level  their  rifles  on  the  mob.  There  is  no  telling 
what  the  result  might  have  been  had  not  Dr.  Jameson 
arrived  just  then,  breathless  from  running. 

As  soon  as  he  could  compose  himself  he  ordered 
Law  to  put  away  the  guns,  and  with  the  next  gasp 
cried,  "  Who's  the  ring-leader  of  this  affair? " 

The  baker  shouted,  "I'm  the  ring-leader  another 
man,  "I'm  ring-leader;"  and  it  went  through  the 
crowd,  "We're  all  ring-leaders." 

Perceiving  that  this  would  not  work,  the  Doctor 
changed  his  tactics  and  said  to  them,  "Just  one  word, 
gentlemen— one  word  only.  We  are  on  tlie  em  of  a 
boom  !  Will  you  rashly  commit  an  act  that  will  throw 
discredit  on  the  country,  jeopardize  your  interests,  and 
thus  prevent  you  from  reaping  the  reward  of  your 
labors  for  which  you  are  anxiously  waiting  ?  Let  the 
law  take  its  course,  and  I  give  you  my  word  that  the 
criminal  will  be  immediately  condemned  and  hung. 
Gentlemen,  you  do  not  realize  the  gravity  of  this 
affair  in  connection  with  the  fortlicoming  'boom!^'' 
and  thus  he  continued. 

As  soon  as  the  Doctor  began  speaking,  there  were 
shouts  for  silence.  " Listen  to  the  Doctor  ! "  "Hear, 
hear!"  and  when  he  dilated  upon  the  subject  of  a 
boom,  it  was  "Hurrah  for  the  Doctor!"  "Three 
cheers  for  Dr.  Jameson  !  Hip,  hip,  hurrah  !  "  Scarce- 
ly was  the  speech  finished  ere  they  were  singing, 
"He's  a  Jolly  Good  Fellow,"  and  the  crowd  then 
returned  to  the  Kopje  for  "drinks  round." 


LAW  AND  ORDER  IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS  255 

It  was  a  cool  bracing  morning  in  May,  with  not  a 
cloud  in  all  the  sky.  The  silver  moon  had  sunk  behind 
the  western  hills  and  glittering  rays  of  the  sun  were 
fast  falling  from  the  east  over  the  peaceful  plain  on 
which  lay  the  much -scattered  town  of  Salisbury. 
From  the  side  door  of  the  pole-walled,  thatch-roofed 
building  honored  with  the  title  of  jail,  under  the  es- 
cort of  the  keeper  and  some  armed  police,  came  a 
black  man  dressed  in  European  clothing.  It  was  Zulu 
Jim.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  little  Jesuit  father 
who  talked  earnestly  and  rapidly  with  him  as  they 
walked  along.  .The  murderer  mounted  the  steps  to 
the  scaffold  which  had  been  erected  in  the  old  fort.  A 
mixed  crowd  of  native  servant-boys  surrounded  the 
place  eager  to  gloat  over  the  first  public  execution  by 
white  men  that  they  had  yet  witnessed.  A  cup  of 
brandy  was  hastily  swallowed  by  the  victim.  His  hands 
were  secured,  the  white  cap  placed,  and  the  noose  ad- 
justed. With  a  click  from  the  lever  of  the  trap  a  figure 
dropped,  slightly  tilted,  to  the  end  of  the  rope.  An 
exultant  laugh  of  derision  arose  from  the  Kafir  spec- 
tators. The  body  quivered  slightly,  and  the  black 
soul  of  one  of  Africa's  deluded  children  passed  to  the 
realms  of  eternity.  Justice  had  been  done,  and  law 
and  order  had  triumphed  over  lawlessness  in  Britain's 
youngest  colony. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


RHODESIA  BEFORE  THE  OCCUPATION 

Prehistoric  Mines— Ancient  Ruins— An  Untenable  Theory — 
The  Amalosa — An  Interesting  Legend — Early  Portuguese 
Exploration — Mashona  Occupation — Origin  of  the  Name 
Mashona — History  of  the  Matabeles — Mr.  Thomas  Bains's 
Negotiations  with  Lo  Bengula — Mr.  Carl  Mauch  Gives 
Enthusiastic  Account  of  Ancient  Mines  —  The  British 
South  Africa  Company  Takes  Possession  —  Unfriendly 
Attitude  of  Matabele  Warriors 

I  HAVE  several  times  mentioned  the  fact  tliat  the 
mines  of  Mashonaland  had  been  worked  in  prehistoric 
times.  Some  difference  of  opinion  exists  as  to  who 
the  prehistoric  miners  were.  The  learned  tell  us  that 
gold  has  been  exported  from  Southeast  Africa  for  two 
or  more  thousand  years.  It  is  conjectured  to  be  the 
Land  of  Ophir  and  likewise  the  home  of  the  Queen  of 
Sheba.  The  original  miners  are  supposed  by  archaeol- 
ogists to  be  of  Asiatic  origin.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
character  of  the  ancient  diggings,  however,  that  would 
necessarily  imply  that  they  are  other  than  the  work 
of  the  aborigines  themselves,  as  the  methods  used 
have  evidently  been  the  most  primitive.  In  all  places 
of  quartz-mining,  the  ore  has  been  crushed  by  crude  ap- 
pliances such  as  smooth  stones,  and  mortars  hollowed 
from  the  rocks.  In  those  localities  where  open  work- 
ings exist,  there  is  evidence  that  fires  were  built  over 

356 


KHODESIA  BEFORE  THE  OCCUPATION 


257 


the  reefs  to  heat  the  quartz  which  was  broken  off  by 
the  application  of  cold  water.  Even  in  the  districts 
such  as  the  Mazoe  and  the  Abercorn,  where  small 
round  shafts  were  dug  to  a  considerable  depth  and 
stoping  was  done,  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  the 
methods  were  essentially  different  from  those  in  vogue 
at  the  present  time  among  the  Ashantees  of  the  Gold 
Coast. 

The  reasons  for  supposing  that  the  ancient  miners 
came  from  Asia  are,  first,  the  prehistoric  ruins  situated 
in  various  mining  districts,  not  only  over  the  country 
south  of  the  Zambesi  River,  but  over  the  north  as 
well,  and,  second,  the  historic  accounts  signifying  a 
commerce  with  Eastern  Africa  and  the  importation  of 
gold  from  that  direction  in  ancient  times.  The  ruins, 
though  in  nowise  signifying  the  high  state  of  civiliza- 
tion that  might  be  implied  by  the  title  of  Mr.  Theodore 
Bent's  book  ''The  Ruined  Cities  of  Mashonaland," 
are,  nevertheless,  sufficiently  finished  in  structure  to 
denote  the  architectural  skill  of  a  people  possessed  of 
intelligence  far  bej^ond  that  ever  attained  by  the  Bantu 
or  Negro  races.  These  structures,  called  Zimbabwe, 
are  supposed  to  have  been  used  both  as  fortifications 
and  as  temples  of  worship.  They  consist  mainly  of 
circular-walled  enclosures,  neatly  built  of  dressed 
stones  laid  without  the  use  of  mortar.  The  largest, 
near  Victoria,  was  visited  by  Mr.  Bent  in  1891.  That 
celebrated  archaeologist  presented  the  opinion  that 
the  builders  were  from  Southern  Arabia.  Mr.  R.  M. 
W.  Swan,  who  assisted  him  in  his  researches,  hav- 
ing made  a  careful  survey  of  the  walls,  believes  that 
the  architects  were  well  advanced  in  mathematics.  Up 
to  the  present,  however,  no  inscriptions  have  been  re- 
vealed which  suggest  that  they  used  a  written  lan- 
guage. Relics  discovered  among  the  ruins  establish 
17 


258  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 

the  fact  that  the  occupants  were  phallic  worshippers, 
and  quantities  of  manufactured  gold,  as  well  as  smelt- 
ing furnaces,  prove  that  they  were  extensive  miners. 
Very  little  has  been  done  in  the  way  of  exploration ; 
hence  a  great  and  interesting  field  is  here  open  for  the 
researches  of  the  archaeologist. 

The  theory  has  been  entertained  that  the  present 
aboriginal  inhabitants  of  Mashonaland  are  the  descend- 
ants of  the  builders  of  the  Zimbabwe,  the  Asiatic  immi- 
grants having  fused  with  the  native  population.  One 
argument  put  forth  in  support  of  this  supposition  is 
the  fact  that  the  herring-bone  pattern  in  the  ornamen- 
tation of  the  ancient  ruins  is  identical  with  that  used 
by  the  people  now  living  in  the  country  in  decorating 
their  implements  and  utensils.  This  counts  for  little, 
however,  for  the  chevron  pattern  is  one  common  to 
many  primitive  races,  and  is  even  found  among  tribes 
inhabiting  islands  far  in  mid-ocean.  Another  argu- 
ment given  in  favor  of  this  hypothesis  is  that  a 
decided  Semitic  caste  of  features,  with  light  skin,  is 
often  observed  among  the  Mashonas.  Doubtless  it 
is  an  admixture  of  Semitic  blood  which  gives  to  the 
Bantu  race  the  thinner  lips  and  narrower  bridge  to 
the  nose,  distinguishing  them  from  the  pure  negroes 
of  the  West  Coast ;  and  it  is  quite  natural  that  those 
tribes  possessing  a  greater  per  cent,  of  Asiatic  blood 
would  be  most  prone  to  reversion  of  type.  Neverthe- 
less, there  is  such  a  continual  changing  of  locality 
among  the  African  tribes,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
know  whence  came  a  people  or  whither  it  has  gone 
within  a  few  centuries,  to  say  nothing  of  what  might 
have  happened  in  two  thousand  years. 

Captain  Brabandt  and  Mr.  A.  D.  Campbell,  who 
have  had  much  to  do  with  native  management  in 
Rhodesia,  informed  me  that  the  present  occupants  of 


KHODESIA  BEFORE  THE  OCCUPxVTION  259 

Mashonaland  migrated  from  far  north  of  the  Zambesi, 
within  the  last  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  sup- 
planted a  race  of  prehistoric  miners  called  the  Amalosa. 
The  latter  are  far  more  likely  to  have  been  the  de- 
scendants of  the  builders  of  the  Zimbabwe.  Accord- 
ing to  tradition  the  Amalosa  were  first  subdued  and 
then  oppressed  by  the  Mashona  nation.  A  few  rem- 
nants still  exist  in  some  districts,  but  they  are  looked 
upon  by  their  conquerors  as  a  slave  race.  They  are 
supposed  to  have  been  higher  in  intellectual  calibre 
and  in  the  development  of  their  arts  than  the  present 
ruling  tribes.  Indeed,  those  who  were  pointed  out  to 
me  as  Amalosa,  had  clearer  cut  features,  and  seemed 
to  possess  much  more  natural  shrewdness  than  either 
the  Mashona  or  the  Matabele. 

A  legend  existing  among  the  natives  of  Mashona- 
land  concerning  the  fate  of  the  Amalosa  seems  to  savor 
somewhat  of  the  story  of  the  tower  of  Babel.  It  is 
this  :  "  Their  god  ordered  them  to  eat  no  meat  except 
that  of  young  cattle.  The  injunction  was  implicitly 
obeyed  ;  but,  with  the  lapse  of  time,  there  came  a  day 
of  consternation  among  the  people  at  the  discovery 
that  the  old  cattle  had  died,  while  the  young  stock 
had  all  been  eaten.  Great  lamentation  ensued,  and 
they  cried,  '  Why  does  not  our  god  send  us  more 
cows  ? '  Days,  months,  years  passed  away  ;  still  they 
were  without  cattle.  So  sorely  did  they  lament  their 
loss  that  the  entire  nation  went  crazy  over  it.  Their 
madness  took  the  form  of  trying  to  build  to  the  moon, 
which  they  determined  to  catch,  fetch  down  to  the 
earth,  and  beat  into  a  silver  plate  for  their  king. 
They  began  building  on  a  high  mountain  in  Manica- 
land.  The  structure,  which  was  round  and  of  stone, 
finally  reached  such  an  immense  height  that  it  lost 
its  equilibrium  and  tumbled  down,  killing  those  who 


260  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

were  working  above,  and  all  who  were  tossing  up 
stones  to  them  from  below.  The  rest  of  the  people 
then  moved  to  another  mountain  not  far  distant, 
where  they  made  a  gigantic  effort  to  accomplish  their 
object,  but  ere  the  tower  was  completed  it  again  top- 
pled over,  and  the  entire  nation  was  destroyed  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  who  were  in  the  bushes  gather- 
ing mahobohobo  fruit."  Thus,  according  to  tradition, 
ended  the  career  of  the  Amalosa. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  old  mines  are  to  be  seen 
the  remains  of  villages  in  which  was  in  vogue  a  pecul- 
iar custom  of  planting  in  the  ground  nine  stone  slabs 
— three  rows  of  three  slabs  each — apparently  for  the 
support  of  grain-bins  or  other  platforms.  I  have  been 
told  that  this  custom  is  probably  of  Arabic  origin,  and 
it  is,  moreover,  one  that  I  have  never  observed  among 
the  Mashonas.  Doubtless,  however,  the  latter  worked 
the  mines  to  some  extent,  for  timbers  and  implements 
found  in  the  deserted  shafts  indicate  that  mining  was 
continued  to  the  time  of  the  advent  of  the  Matabeles 
from  the  south.  The  Mashonas  may  have  learned  the 
art  of  mining  from  the  Amalosa  or  from  the  Portu- 
guese, who  no  doubt  worked  extensively  for  gold  in 
these  districts. 

When,  near  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century,  the 
Portuguese  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  took 
their  course  northward  along  the  east  coast  of  Africa, 
they  found  at  what  is  now  Sofala  a  flourishing  city 
inhabited  principally  by  Arabs,  who  traded  for  gold 
with  the  natives  from  the  interior.  There  are  records 
that  expeditions  of  conquest  inland  were  undertaken 
by  the  Portuguese  in  the  earlier  centuries,  and,  in  all 
probability,  these  Europeans  were  at  one  time  in  pos- 
session of  much  of  the  territory  now  known  as  Rho- 
desia.  It  is  thought  that  they  mined  with  slave  la- 


KHODESIA  BEFOKE  THE  OCCUPATION  261 


bor,  and  it  is  possible  that  trading  stations  were  estab- 
lished by  them  in  centres  where  gold  digging  was  car- 
ried on  independently  by  the  native  population.  I 
have  already  spoken  of  the  remains  of  a  fort  and  villas 
on  the  Angwa  River,  and  of  the  presence  of  adobe 
buildings  on  the  Umfuli,  and  there  are  similar  signs 
of  Portuguese  occupation  in  many  other  parts.  In 
excavating  one  of  the  Zimbabwe  ruins  on  the  Filabusi 
River  far  down  in  Matabeleland,  a  breech-loading 
cannon  was  found,  presumably  of  Portuguese  origin. 
Although  there  have  been  found  thus  far  no  ruined 
Portuguese  forts  at  that  distance  inland,  there  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  that  daring  spirits  penetrated  to  the 
far  interior  of  Africa  in  those  early  times,  as  did  the 
Spanish  explorers,  De  Soto  and  Goronado,  push  into 
the  unknown  regions  of  our  North  American  continent. 
Eventually  the  Portuguese  lost  possession  of  the  coun- 
try, being  driven  from  Manicaland  about  1837,  thus 
leaving  the  gold-fields  again  to  the  aborigines. 

Ancient  ruins,  differing  in  character  from  those  of 
the  Zimbabwe,  have  been  discovered  in  the  Inyanga 
district,  along  with  numerous  irrigating  trenches, 
pointing  to  a  past  habitation  by  some  intelligent  race 
coming  originally  from  a  land  where  irrigation  had 
been  carried  on  extensively.  But  so  little  is  actually 
known  of  the  history  of  the  country,  that,  until  fur- 
ther researches  have  been  made  by  archaeologists,  the 
past  working  of  the  Rhodesian  mines  must  be  left 
largely  to  speculation. 

The  aborigines  at  present  inhabiting  this  section  are 
divided  into  two  classes,  mz.^  Mashona  and  Matabele. 
The  name  Mashona  is  a  coined  word,  which  is  now 
applied  to  all  those  independent  tribes,  closely  related 
in  language  and  customs,  occupying  Eastern  Rhodesia. 
Much  doubt  exists  as  to  the  origin  of  the  name,  but 


262  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

the  most  feasible  explanation  seems  to  be  that  it  is  a 
corruption  of  the  native  term  matswena^  the  plural 
of  tswena,  meaning  filth  on  the  body.  As  the  Mashona 
people  are  among  the  most  filthy  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  this  seems  a  reasonable  origin.  The  Matabeles 
are  said  to  have  first  used  the  word  in  contempt. 
Later,  it  was  adopted  by  the  white  men  ;  and  the  na- 
tive population,  feeling  no  resentment  at  being  called 
"  filth" — in  which  they  revel — have  willingly  accepted 
the  name ;  hence  it  is  not  unusual  to  hear  them 
speak  of  themselves  as  Matswena.  The  language  of 
these  people  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  some 
of  the  tribes  near  Dar  es  Salaam  of  the  German 
East  Coast  possessions.  This  fact  helps  to  substan- 
tiate the  theory  that  they  have  migrated  from  the 
north. 

The  history  of  the  Matabeles  is  well  known.  About 
seventy  years  ago  Chaka,  king  of  the  Zulus,  sent  an 
army  under  a  favorite  general,  called  Mosilikatse,  on 
a  raiding  expedition  against  some  neighboring  tribes. 
Mosilikatse  captured  large  herds  of  cattle,  but,  upon 
his  return,  instead  of  giving  the  entire  plunder  to  the 
king,  as  was  the  custom,  he  kept  a  fair  portion  of  the 
booty  for  himself  and  his  warriors.  Chaka,  enraged 
at  this  audacity,  despatched  another  army  to  destroy 
the  offender  and  his  people.  Mosilikatse  got  the  worst 
of  the  battle  which  ensued,  and,  to  avoid  complete 
annihilation,  he  fled  with  his  followers  northward. 
Lest  he  should  be  pursued  he  destroyed  everything 
Avith  which  he  came  in  contact — grain,  cattle,  men, 
women,  and  children— leaving  a  wilderness  between 
him  and  Zululand.  He  halted  on  the  Great  Marico 
River  in  what  is  at  present  the  South  African  Repub- 
lic. There  he  lived  for  ten  years,  ravaging  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  strengthening  his  army  by 


RHODESIA  BEFORE  THE  OCCUPATION  263 


incorporating  the  young  men  of  his  vanquished  foes 
into  his  regiments. 

Upon  the  advent  into  that  region  of  the  Boers  from 
the  Cape  Colony  in  1836,  Mosilikatse  sent  an  army  of 
five  thousand  of  his  best  warriors  to  annihilate  them. 
A  few  isolated  families  were  massacred,  but  the  Boers 
managed  to  form  a  small  laager,  against  which  the 
Matabeles  repeatedly  charged,  expecting  an  easy  vic- 
tory ;  but  they  were  as  often  repulsed  by  the  sturdy 
frontiersmen,  although  the  latter  were  armed  with  no 
better  weapons  than  flint-lock  guns.  The  savages 
finally  fled  in  dismay,  leaving  their  dead  and  dying- 
piled  in  mounds  about  the  enclosure ;  but  they  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  with  them  all  the  sheep,  goats,  and 
cattle  belonging  to  the  settlers.  The  Boers  did  not 
deem  it  necessary  to  fight  the  aborigines  according  to 
approved  European  methods — namely,  by  going  to 
their  strongholds  and  pleading  with  them  for  peace. 
Instead  of  that,  they  pursued  the  vanquished  army, 
attacked  the  Matabeles  at  their  homes,  dealt  them  an- 
other severe  blow,  recaptured  their  stolen  stock,  and 
returned  triumphant. 

Perceiving  by  this  defeat  that  the  country  was  be- 
coming altogether  too  civilized  for  him,  Mosilikatse 
again  started  northward  on  a  journey  of  desolation 
and  bloodshed,  finally  settling  with  his  nation  in  what 
is  known  to-day  as  Matabeleland.  From  that  point 
his  regiments  of  marauders  were  sent  in  every  direc- 
tion to  prey  upon  the  weaker  tribes  around  them. 
The  word  Matabele  became  a  terror  to  all  human  be- 
ings within  hundreds  of  miles  of  the  king's  head- 
quarters. The  neighboring  tribes  were  raided,  the 
cattle  seized,  and  the  people  killed,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  young  women  and  children,  who  were  taken 
to  Matabeleland  as  slaves.    Some  of  the  tribes,  how- 


264  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

ever,  in  what  is  now  Mashonaland,  by  fortifying  them- 
selves in  the  rocky  fastnesses  of  the  hills,  were  able  to 
withstand  to  some  extent  the  onslaught  of  the  invaders. 

When  Mosilikatse  died,  Lo  Bengula,  his  son,  suc- 
ceeded him.  The  same  practice  of  raiding,  with  all  the 
horrible  cruelties  of  murder,  rapine,  and  slavery,  was 
carried  on  as  before.  The  new  king  also  continued  the 
system  instituted  b3'^  his  father,  of  training  as  soldiers 
the  boys  captured  on  his  pillaging  expeditions,  but 
owing  to  the  inferiority  of  the  tribes  from  which  they 
were  taken,  they  were  by  no  means  equal  in  fighting 
quality  to  those  of  Zulu  blood ;  thus  the  nation  rap- 
idly deteriorated  in  martial  character.  Nevertheless, 
as  the  later  generation  of  warriors  in  all  their  conquests 
had  met  only  tribes  of  inferior  soldierly  qualities,  who 
fell  an  easy  prey  to  their  murdering  instincts,  they 
had  come  to  believe  themselves  sufficiently  powerful 
to  conquer  the  entire  world,  if  their  king  would  only 
allow  them  to  attempt  it.  Lo  Bengula' s  army  was  es- 
timated at  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  fighting 
men.  It  was  the  menace  of  this  warlike  nation  that 
prevented  European  occupation  of  the  country  at  an 
earlier  date  than  1890. 

People  of  Northern  Europe  and  the  British  Isles 
knew  little  or  nothing  concerning  this  part  of  Africa 
until,  some  forty  years  ago,  traders  and  elephant 
hunters  began  to  penetrate  into  Matabeleland,  bringing 
out  with  them  reports  of  the  remains  of  ancient  gold- 
mines. The  first  concession  was  obtained  from  Lo 
Bengula  for  the  right  to  the  Tati  gold-fields,  where 
mining  was  prosecuted,  though  with  much  inconven- 
ience imposed  by  the  Matabeles.  Mr.  Thomas  Baines 
secured  a  concession  in  1871  from  Lo  Bengula  to  the 
mineral  rights  of  the  Umfuli  gold-fields,  but  the  king 
emphasized  the  point  that  he  in  no  way  resigned  his 


EHODESIA  BEFOEE  THE  OCCUPATION  265 

authority  as  ruler  over  the  district.  Owing  to  the  un- 
timely death  of  Mr.  Baines,  the  projects  he  had  formu- 
lated for  the  development  of  the  mines  were  never 
carried  into  execution. 

At  about  the  time  of  Mr.  Baines' s  negotiations, 
a  German  explorer,  Mr.  Carl  Mauch,  travelled  ex- 
tensively over  Mashonaland  and  Matabeleland,  and 
published  to  the  world  enthusiastic  accounts  of  in- 
dications of  fabulous  wealth  and  of  remains  of  an- 
cient ruins.  From  this  date  Europeans  looked  with 
covetous  eyes  toward  the  rediscovered  Land  of  Ophir. 
To  credulous  imaginations  the  threatening  presence  of 
a  powerful  race  of  barbarians  only  served  to  exagger- 
ate the  wealth  of  the  country,  until  the  land  came  to 
be  regarded  as  equal  in  treasure  to  any  famed  in  fable. 
Hence  finally  the  K-udd-Rhodes  concession  was  pro- 
cured, tlie  British  South  Africa  Company  organized, 
and  the  Pioneer  Expedition  sent  into  the  country. 

Lo  Bengula,  as  well  as  his  father  Mosilikatse,  had 
always  given  protection  to  white  men  visiting  his  terri- 
tory ;  but  against  these  the  Matabele  warriors  displayed 
the  greatest  contempt  and  hatred,  and  were  restrained 
from  murdering  every  paleface  who  crossed  their  boi'- 
der  solely  by  the  overawing  fear  of  their  king.  They 
were  amazed  at  the  audacity  of  the  few  whites  who 
had  dared  to  proceed  into  Mashonaland  in  defiance  of 
the  overwhelming  strength  of  their  army,  and  they 
longed  for  the  day  when  they  could  dip  their  spears  in 
the  blood  of  the  white  intruders. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


BEGINNING  OF  THE  MATABELE  TROUBLES 

Marauding  Matabeles  Visit  the  Victoria  District — The  Admin- 
istrator Hastens  to  the  Seat  of  Trouble — The  Savages 
'Ordered  Across  the  Border — Their  Departure  Forced  by 
the  Settlers — The  Community  are  Determined  to  have 
War — Salisbury  Horse  Organized — Conspiracy  Foiled  by 
Diplomacy — Arrangements  for  Campaign  Publicly  An- 
nounced—The Matabeles  Defeated  at  Shangani  and  Bem- 
besi — The  Wilson  Disaster — New  Era  of  Civilization 

The  beginning  of  1893  promised  the  opening  of  a 
new  era  in  Mashonaland,  and  there  was  every  indica- 
tion that  prosperity  would  at  last  smile  upon  the 
country.  Activity  in  mining  had  begun,  people  were 
emigrating  rapidly  from  the  south,  and  the  settlers 
were  feeling  that  their  long  struggles  and  hard  times 
were  over.  But,  alas  for  the  unforeseen  !  In  July, 
the  news  spread  that  the  Matabeles  were  marauding 
in  the  Victoria  district,  and  consternation  and  dismay 
among  the  colonists  naturally  followed. 

A  regiment  of  warriors  had  been  sent  from  Bula- 
wayo  by  Lo  Bengula,  to  punish  some  Mashonas  who 
had  exhibited  signs  of  insolence  toward  that  potentate. 
Owing  to  the  advent  of  the  white  men,  who  assumed 
to  be  the  protectors  of  the  oppressed  aborigines,  the 
latter,  true  to  their  racial  idiosyncrasies,  had  begun 
prematurely  to  exult  over  the  emancipation  from  their 

266 


BEGINNING  OF  THE  MATABELE  TROUBLES  ^67 

thraldom  by  the  exhibition  of  defiant  disdain  toward 
the  demands  for  tribute  made  by  tlie  Matabele  king. 
In  addition  to  punishing  these  offenders,  the  Matabeles 
were  feeling  the  way,  so  to  speak,  toward  the  removal 
of  the  intruders  whose  presence  curtailed  freedom  of 
action  in  their  human  hunting  preserves.  The  army 
advanced  under  strict  injunction  from  their  king, 
however,  not  to  interfere  with  any  white  people  whom 
they  miglit  meet.  They  began  their  old  system  of 
murder  and  plunder,  killing  at  least  four  hundred  na- 
tives in  the  neighborhood  of  Victoria,  and  capturing 
numbers  of  women,  children,  and  cattle.  Many  Ma- 
shonas  ran  for  protection  into  the  town  of  Victoria, 
and  were  stabbed  to  death  even  at  the  feet  of  white 
men,  the  Matabele  fiends  being  absolutely  deaf  to  pro- 
tests. Although  no  violence  was  attempted  toward 
Europeans,  the  warriors  were  extremely  insolent,  in- 
sinuating to  the  former  that  their  time  for  being  dealt 
with  would  arrive  "by  and  by." 

Immediately  upon  receipt  of  the  news,  the  Adminis- 
trator, Dr.  Jameson,  who  was  at  Salisbury,  went  post- 
haste to  the  seat  of  trouble.  He  called  the  indunas 
together,  and  told  them  that  they  must  cease  pillag- 
ing, and  return  at  once  across  the  border  (separating 
Matabeleland  and  Mashonaland,  as  defined  by  the 
British  South  Africa  Company  and  Lo  Bengula). 
The  chiefs  talked  defiantly,  and  would  lend  no  ear  to 
reason ;  hence  the  Administrator  informed  them  that 
if  they  were  not  on  the  move  by  the  expiration  of  a 
certain  time,  he  would  take  severe  measures  against 
them.  Part  of  the  impi  heeded  the  injunction,  and 
turned  their  faces  toward  Matabeleland.  Several  hun- 
dred, however,  headed  by  the  defiant  chiefs,  remained 
behind  to  hold  a  council  of  war.  In  the  meantime 
forty  men  from  among  the  few  people  at  Victoria 


268  THE  SOUTH  AFRICA]^  FRONTIER 

mounted  their  horses,  and  prepared  to  act  against  the 
barbarians  in  case  of  emergency.  The  allotted  time 
expired,  and  as  tliere  was  no  movement  toward  leav- 
ing on  the  part  of  the  bellicose  savages,  the  horsemen, 
led  by  Captain  Lendy,  went  out  to  force  their  depart- 
ure. There  has  been  considerable  adverse  criticism  on 
the  part  of  the  people  in  England  regarding  the  en- 
counter which  ensued,  the  stand  being  taken  that  the 
settlers  had  no  right  to  lire  on  the  Matabeles.  Those 
people,  however,  who  are  acquainted  with  the  impul- 
sive ways  of  savage  races,  appreciate  the  fact  that  the 
occasion  was  a  critical  one,  and  that  decisive  action 
was  imperative.  When  the  Matabeles  saw  the  horse- 
men advancing,  they  assumed  menacing  attitudes ; 
and  if  their  adversaries  had  shown  the  slightest  hesi- 
tation, it  is  not  improbable  that  the  barbarians  would 
have  swept  down  upon  them,  and  by  sheer  force  of 
numbers,  not  only  have  killed  them,  but  flushed 
with  victory  would,  doubtless,  have  massacred  the 
entire  population  of  Victoria.  The  horsemen  spread 
out  in  skirmishing  order,  and  at  full  gallop  bore 
down  upon  the  Matabeles,  who  were  so  struck  with 
consternation  when  the  bullets  began  to  whiz  among 
them,  that  they  turned  and  fled  homeward,  taking 
with  them,  however,  the  cattle,  women,  and  children 
captured  from  the  Mashonas,  and  likewise  four  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle,  stolen  from  the  farmers  in  the 
district. 

Not  only  were  the  white  inhabitants  filled  with  in- 
dignation and  abhorrence  at  the  atrocious  butcheries 
committed  by  the  Matabeles,  but  they  were  led  to  real- 
ize that  there  could  no  longer  be  security  to  life  or  prop- 
erty until  Lo  Bengula's  nation  should  be  conquered. 
Immediately  following  the  occurrence,  therefore,  public 
meetings  were  held  both  at  Salisbury  and  at  Victoria, 


BEGINNING  OF  THE  MATABELE  TROUBLES  269 

in  which  the  people  demanded  a  statement  from  the 
Chartered  Company  as  to  whether  they  intended  to 
fight.  I  was  present  at  the  meeting  held  in  Salisbury, 
and  the  ultimatum  put  forward  by  the  inhabitants 
was  to  the  effect  that  the  Company  must  fight ;  other- 
wise, a  petition  for  protection  and  the  establishment 
of  a  crown  colony  would  be  forwarded  to  the  British 
Government.  The  speakers  representing  the  Company 
were  verbose  in  their  discourses,  but  no  definite  an- 
swer could  be  obtained  to  the  question  so  often  repeated 
by  the  determined  citizens :  "Are  you  going  to  fight  ? " 
The  reply  on  the  part  of  the  representatives  was: 
"The  Chartered  Company  will  do  the  thing  that  is 
necessary.  Do  not  force  the  Company's  hand  by  de- 
manding a  decisive  answer  at  this  critical  juncture." 

As  the  telegraph  line  was  now  cut,  presumably  by 
the  Matabeles,  there  was  no  communication  with  the 
Cape  except  at  such  times  as  the  wires  were  recon- 
nected ;  but  on  these  occasions  the  Government  tele- 
grams monopolized  the  entire  time,  and  the  citizens 
were  thus  unable  to  send  messages.  The  inhabitants 
of  Salisbury  were,  in  consequence,  entirely  in  the  dark 
as  to  what  was  going  on  in  the  outside  world,  as  they 
likewise  were  concerning  the  Chartered  Company's 
plans. 

The  Mashonaland  Horse  was  disbanded,  and  Major 
P.  W.  Forbes  began  immediately  the  organization  of 
a  corps  called  the  Salisbury  Horse,  for  the  express 
purpose,  it  was  announced,  of  proceeding  to  Matabele- 
land.  Orders  were  sent  to  prospectors  and  farmers 
to  come  at  once  to  Salisbury  for  safety.  It  was  alto- 
gether an  unsettled  question  among  the  inhabitants 
whether  or  not  the  authorities  intended  to  attempt  the 
conquest  of  Matabeleland  with  the  small  number  of 
people  that  were  at  that  time  in  the  vicinity  of  Salis- 


270  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

bury.  Not  a  few  seemed  to  think  that  this  was  their 
purpose. 

Some  discontented  individuals,  surmising  that  the 
Company  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  community  in  ob- 
taining men  for  service  in  the  conflict,  deemed  it  a 
good  opportunity  for  demanding  reforms.  It  was  not 
an  unusual  thing  for  agitators,  as  they  may  be  termed, 
to  collect  at  some  private  citizen's  hut,  and  discuss  the 
political  questions  pertaining  to  Mashonaland.  Short- 
ly after  the  call  for  volunteers,  I  happened  to  be  at  one 
of  these  meetings,  convened  just  back  of  the  kopje  in 
a  ''wattle  and  daub"  hut.  There  was  decided  talk- 
ing as  to  the  demands  that  should  be  made  before 
assistance  should  be  rendered  in  the  subjugation  of 
the  Matabeles.  The  greatest  question  at  issue  was 
that  regarding  the  reduction  of  the  fifty  per  cent,  in- 
terest that  the  British  South  Africa  Company  held 
in  all  the  gold-mines  ;  but  not  the  least  in  importance 
was  the  requirement  of  large  farms  in  Matabeleland, 
numbers  of  gold  claims,  and  plenty  of  loot.  As  the 
whiskey  disappeared,  the  plans  that  were  to  be  put 
into  execution  before  daylight  the  next  morning  were 
amazing  in  their  audacity.  One  man  proposed  to  fly 
the  Union  Jack  from  the  top  of  the  kopje,  and  take 
possession  of  all  the  Company's  territories  in  the  name 
of  the  Queen  ;  another  would  plant  there,  instead,  the 
flag  of  the  Transvaal !  Others  decided  that  it  should 
be  the  black  flag  of  piracy  ;  but  those  who  hailed  from 
the  Emerald  Isle  were  in  the  majority,  and  would  con- 
sent to  nothing  short  of  the  green  flag  of  Old  Ireland. 
The  meeting  finally  adjourned,  without  any  violence 
being  attempted,  and  the  members  went  peaceably  to 
their  homes. 

By  ten  o'clock  the  next  day  almost  the  entire 
party  of  conspirators  were  on  Pioneer  Street,  enthusi- 


BEGINNING  OF  THE  MxVTABELE  TROUBLES  271 


astically  recruiting  for  the  Chartered  Company's  vol- 
unteer force.  Their  personal  and  public  grievances 
had  been  smothered  early  that  morning  by  appoint- 
ments from  Dr.  Jameson  to  positions  as  officers  in  the 
corps,  from  captains  down  to  corporals.  Being  a  for- 
eigner, with  no  influential  acquaintances  in  the  British 
Parliament,  my  personal  importance  was  too  insignifi- 
cant to  attract  official  notice.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I 
was  the  only  man  who  had  pleaded  for  moderation  in 
the  demands  on  the  Company  at  such  a  crisis,  and 
doubtless  for  this  reason  also  I  was  not  thought  suffi- 
ciently formidable  to  require  consideration.  It  is  pos- 
sible, however,  that  the  Doctor's  abhorrence  of  all  acts 
savoring  of  filibustering  led  him  to  believe  that  my 
escapade  of  looking  into  Bululu's  corn-bins  was  suffi- 
ciently foreboding  to  debar  me  from  being  entrusted 
with  the  reins  of  leadership.  Strange  to  say,  only  one 
of  the  violent  participants  in  the  previous  evening's 
agitation  was  without  an  office  in  the  corps.  This  man 
— an  Irish  gentleman — confidentially  informed  me  that 
he  had  unmistakable  proofs  of  the  presence  of  an  in- 
former in  our  crowd,  who  went  straight  to  Dr.  Jameson 
as  soon  as  the  meeting  was  over  and  told  him  all  that 
had  been  said.  Personally  he  had,  for  good  reasons, 
made  up  his  mind  never  to  open  his  mouth  again 
against  the  Chartered  Company. 

With  the  first  call  for  volunteers,  I  had  promptly 
tendered  my  services  and  had  been  chosen  by  Captain 
E.  Burnett  of  the  Intelligence  Department  as  a  scout, 
along  with  Herbert  Eyre,  Leo  N'eumeyer,  E.  Finucane, 
and  several  others  who  prided  themselves  on  their  profi- 
ciency as  frontiersmen  and  scouts.  But  Major  Forbes 
soon  informed  Captain  Burnett  that  he  must  dispense 
with  the  men  of  his  choice,  and  organize  into  a  scout- 
ing section  ^'several  gentlemen  in  Salisbury  who  did 


272 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


not  wish  to  join  the  troops,  but  were  willing  to  go  into 
Matabeleland  and  make  themselves  generally  useful." 
Captain  Burnett  absolutely  refused  to  have  thus  ar- 
bitrarily forced  upon  him  men  who,  as  he  said,  would 
lose  their  way  if  he  took  them  into  the  veld  ten  miles 
from  the  laager,  and  in  consequence  he  promptly  re- 
signed his  commission.  We  who  had  been  chosen 
for  our  ability  at  the  work  were  not  a  little  incensed 
at  being  dispensed  with  in  order  to  make  room  for 
some  of  Major  Forbes' s  particular  friends.  We  could 
have  entered  the  ranks  as  troopers  ;  but  as  for  myself, 
I  had  so  frequently  and  pointedly  been  given  the  cold 
shoulder  by  Dr.  Jameson  and  other  officers  of  the 
Chartered  Companj^  that  I  made  up  my  mind  to  let 
the  favorites  carry  through  the  conquest  of  Matabele- 
land without  any  assistance  from  me. 

It  was  presently  announced  that  all  those  not  join- 
ing the  expedition  to  Matabeleland  would  be  required 
to  remain  in  Salisbury  until  the  return  of  the  troops, 
and  that  no  one  would  be  allowed  to  go  outside  the 
town  for  any  purpose  other  than  that  of  military  duty. 
In  consideration  of  this,  many  who  might  have  re- 
sumed work  at  their  farms  or  mines  enlisted,  prefer- 
ring excitement  at  the  front  to  the  monotonj^  of  camp 
life  at  home. 

Later,  the  Administrator  informed  the  public  that 
arrangements  for  a  campaign  against  the  Matabeles 
had  been  completed,  and  that  the  two  hundred  and 
fifty  men  of  the  Salisbury  Horse  under  Major  Forbes 
were  not  to  win  the  victory  alone,  but  that  recruits 
had  been  obtained  by  Commandant  Raaff  in  Johannes- 
burg, who,  with  the  Victoria  Rangers,  under  Major 
Allen  Wilson,  would  join  the  Salisbury  Horse  at  Iron 
Mine  Hill  on  the  border  of  Matabeleland,  thus  making 
an  army  of  about  seven  hundred  men,  which  would 


BEGINNING  OF  THE  MATABELE  TROUBLES  273 

advance  upon  the  Matabeles  from  the  east,  while  a 
small  column  of  Bechuanaland  Border  Police,  under 
Colonel  Goold-Adams,  would  at  the  same  time  push 
forward  to  Bulawayo  from  the  southwest. 

On  September  5th  the  Salisbury  Horse  proceeded  to 
Charter,  where  they  were  to  spend  a  few  weeks  at  drill- 
ing before  moving  forward.  As  soon  as  the  troops  had 
left,  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  Salisbury  was 
convened,  at  which  it  was  decided  to  fortify  the  jail  as 
a  place  of  defence  in  case  of  attack.  It  seemed  to  be 
the  general  opinion,  however,  that  if  the  force  sent 
against  the  Matabeles  met  with  a  reverse,  the  fall  of 
those  remaining  behind  was  inevitable,  as  the  number 
was  too  small  to  stand  long  against  a  horde  of  savages 
drunk  with  success. 

After  two  months  of  anxious  and  monotonous  wait- 
ing, news  arrived  at  Salisbury  of  an  engagement 
between  the  Chartered  Company's  forces  and  the  bar- 
barians in  Matabeleland.  The  combined  Salisbury 
and  Victoria  columns  had  proceeded,  as  arranged, 
from  Iron  Mine  Hill,  Dr.  Jameson  being  director  of 
the  expedition,  with  Major  Forbes  as  commander 
of  the  troops.  In  addition  to  the  six  hundred  and 
seventy  white  men  composing  the  column,  there  were 
several  hundred  Mashonas  from  the  Victoria  district, 
who  had  volunteered  to  accompany  the  force,  led 
partly  by  the  chance  of  adventure  and  loot,  and  partly 
by  the  hope  of  finding  their  kinsfolk — wives,  sisters, 
and  daughters — who  had  been  carried  away  into  cap- 
tivity by  the  Matabele  pillagers.  The  native  contin- 
gent was  found  useful  in  the  menial  woi^k  connected 
with  the  movement  of  the  army,  but  during  battle 
they  lay  flat  on  the  ground  in  abject  terror,  while  the 
bullets  went  whizzing  over  them.  The  column  had 
advanced  largely  over  open  country,  and  met  with  no 
18 


274  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

resistance  of  any  consequence  until  outspanned  on  the 
Sliangani  River  on  the  night  of  October  24,  1893. 

During  the  day  many  cattle  had  been  captured  by 
the  troops  in  the  neighboring  hills,  and  a  number  of 
women  and  children,  previously  stolen  from  the  Vic- 
toria neighborhood,  had  been  rescued.  These  dis- 
tressed creatures  were  overjoyed  at  meeting  with  their 
relatives  among  the  native  allies.  The  Maslionas 
camped  near  a  ravine  some  distance  from  the  laager, 
and  whiled  away  the  hours  in  rejoicing  over  the  de- 
liverance of  their  lost  kinswomen,  by  feasting  on  the 
meat  of  the  captured  cattle. 

Five  thousand  Matabeles  gathered  after  dark  for 
an  attack,  intending  to  make  a  rush  on  the  laager  at 
about  ten  o'clock.  They  deemed  it  necessary,  before 
making  the  assault,  that  the  Mashonas  should  quiet 
down  and  fall  asleep.  Hour  after  hour  the  eager 
warriors  fretted  and  fumed  in  the  ravine  below  the 
skerm,  waiting  for  the  noise  to  cease.  Finally,  at 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  patience  of  the 
attacking  party  becoming  exhausted,  they  fell  upon 
the  native  camp,  and  began  the  slaughter  of  the  Ma- 
shonas, stabbing  and  mutilating  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren. A  distressful  wail  of  anguish  was  raised  by 
those  who  were  being  thus  murdered,  which  gave  the 
alarm  to  the  laager  six  hundred  yards  away,  so  that 
the  troops  were  at  their  posts  sending  lead  into  the 
darkness,  and  into  the  flashes  of  light  from  the  guns 
of  the  enemy,  before  the  latter  could  reach  the  wag- 
ons. In  consequence,  the  savages  were  quickly  re- 
pulsed. 

Had  the  Matabeles  ignored  the  Mashonas  and  si- 
multaneously rushed  from  all  sides  upon  the  laager, 
using  spears  only,  they  would  probably  have  inflicted 
a  severe  blow  upon  the  invading  column.    The  want 


BEGINNING  OF  THE  MATABELE  TROUBLES  275 

of  reasoning  power  here  exhibited  is  a  fair  example 
of  the  Kafir's  lack  of  intelligence,  and  shows,  to  some 
extent,  why  a  mere  handful  of  men  of  the  Caucasian 
race  can  subdue  and  rule  vast  hordes  of  barbarians. 
It  is  due  to  superior  intelligence  more  than  to  superior 
bravery,  although  the  latter  is  a  forcible  factor. 

The  Matabeles  made  several  other  attempts  to 
advance  upon  the  laager  that  morning,  but  were  re- 
pelled with  heavy  losses,  and  finally  gave  up  the  bat- 
tle. On  the  side  of  the  whites,  there  were  few  casual- 
ties. Many  rifles  were  used  by  the  savages,  but  want 
of  intelligence  was  again  displayed  by  their  raising 
the  sights  to  the  last  notch,  and  thus  firing  complete- 
ly over  the  laager.  The  Matabeles  believed  that  the 
higher  the  sights  are  placed,  the  better  the  gun  will 
shoot. 

The  column  moved  forward  without  again  encoun- 
tering the  enemy,  until  within  twenty  miles  of  the 
king's  kraal,  Bulawayo.  The  attack  was  made  at 
midday,  while  the  troops  were  laagered  in  a  com- 
manding position  in  open  country  near  the  Bembesi 
E-iver.  The  Matabeles  made  several  brave  sallies  ;  but 
in  this  fight  as  well  as  in  that  at  the  Shangani,  there 
was  great  lack  of  generalship — a  marked  deficiency  on 
the  part  of  the  Matabele  army  throughout  the  entire 
war.  The  machine  guns,  and  the  sharp-shooting  of 
the  white  men  were  too  much  for  the  savages,  and, 
after  heavy  losses,  they  sullenly  left  the  field,  defeated 
but  not  subdued. 

Dr.  Jameson's  column  occupied  Bulawayo  on  No- 
vember 4th.  Forces  from  the  southwest,  under  Col- 
onel Goold-Adams,  arrived  somewhat  later,  having 
met  and  repulsed  a  division  of  the  Matabele  army 
under  Gambo. 

Upon  arrival  at  Bulawayo,  Dr.  Jameson  sent  a  mes- 


276  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

sage  to  Lo  Bengula,  who  had  retreated  twenty  miles 
northward  to  Shiloh,  explaining  to  the  king  that  his 
nation  had  been  beaten,  and  that  he  would  better  sur- 
render and  thus  prevent  further  bloodshed.  As  Lo 
Bengula  did  not  respond  favorably  to  negotiations,  a 
patrol  was  sent  to  capture  him.  He  fled  down  the 
Shangani  River,  the  troops  pursuing  until  they  were 
checked  by  the  unfortunate  massacre  of  Major  Allan 
Wilson's  party  of  thirty- three  men — the  only  reverse  of 
the  entire  campaign.  The  patrol  was  poorly  equipped 
with  food  and  medicine,  and  as  the  heavy  rains  had 
set  in,  this  attempted  seizure  of  the  fugitive  king  was 
a  most  arduous  undertaking.  The  thrilling  account 
to  be  found  in  the  "Downfall  of  Lo  Bengula"  by  Wills 
and  Collingridge  will  give  the  reader  a  fair  conception 
of  the  pluck,  determination,  and  daring  of  the  men  of 
Anglo-Saxon  blood  who  are  forcing  the  expansion  of 
British  domain  in  Africa. 

Although  this  last  engagement  was  a  defeat  for  the 
whites,  that  small  band  of  doomed  men  had  wrought 
such  havoc  upon  the  ranks  of  the  savages  who  sur- 
rounded them  that  no  further  hostilities  were  at- 
tempted by  the  Matabeles — the  nation  having  become 
so  demoralized  that  the  war  immediately  collapsed. 
The  volunteers  were  disbanded,  and  the  men  spread 
over  the  country  for  the  purpose  of  pegging  farms  and 
gold-mines.  A  town  was  laid  out  four  miles  from  old 
Bulawayo — the  native  site  being  found  unsuitable  on 
account  of  the  presence  of  myriads  of  house-flies,  rats, 
and  other  vermin — and  a  new  era  of  civilization  was 
thus  opened  in  Matabeleland, 


Ancient  Tower  at  Zimbabwe. 
The  remains  of  Major  Allan  Wilson  and  his  comrades  are  interred  near  these  ruins. 


CHAPTER  XX 


TCHININGA  ATTEMPTS  TO  WIPE  US  OUT 

Determine  to  Secure  a  White  Rhinoceros — A  Great  Week 
Among  Buffaloes — Visit  Tchininga's  Village — Fired  Upon 
by  Matabele  Spies— Left  to  Meet  the  Enemy  Alone— A 
Case  of  Kill  or  be  Killed — An  Invitation  to  Assist  in  the 
Capture  of  Thieves — In  Foul-smelling  Caves. 

DuKiNG  the  period  of  hostilities  in  Matabeleland 
much  time  was  left  heavy  on  the  hands  of  those  re- 
maining at  home.  I  had  long  desired  to  obtain  a 
specimen  of  the  white  rhinoceros  ;  hence,  as  the  order 
against  leaving  Salisbury  soon  relaxed,  I  decided  to 
go  northward  to  Tchechenini,  in  order  to  secure  one. 
Two  weeks  subsequent  to  the  departure  of  the  Salis- 
bury Horse  in  September,  I  was  at  Damira's  kraal  on 
the  Hanyani  River,  seventy  miles  northwest  of  Salis- 
bury. After  obtaining  a  number  of  carriers  from  the 
induna,  I  set  out  on  the  hunting  trip. 

En  route^  we  visited  a  Mashona  town  ruled  over  by 
a  chief  called  Umboe.  The  natives  there  informed 
me  that  no  game  could  be  found  anywhere  in  the 
vicinity ;  but  while  they  were  making  this  announce- 
ment, I  perceived  a  large  herd  of  buffalo  down  in  the 
edge  of  their  gardens.  They  told  several  other  equally 
preposterous  lies,  for  what  reason  I  could  not  under- 
stand. Later,  however,  I  went  to  a  place  a  few  miles 
away,  in  which  my  carriers  said  that  game  was  plenti- 

377 


278  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

ful.  Tlieir  statements  were  soon  verified,  for,  from 
the  top  of  a  high  hill,  I  saw  in  the  distance  many  ani- 
mals, such  as  tsessebe  and  zebra. 

Finally  I  espied  a  herd  of  buffalo  in  the  timber  sev- 
eral hundred  yards  below  me,  and  managed  to  creep  to 
an  ant-heap  near  them.  They  were  huddled  together 
switching  at  flies  and  chewing  their  cuds  under  the 
shade  of  some  trees,  just  as  cattle  do  in  the  middle  of 
the  day.  It  was  some  time  before  I  obtained  a  shot  at 
what  I  thought  was  a  suitable  specimen — a  big  bull. 
Then  the  whole  herd  came  running  toward  me.  Not 
wishing  to  be  trampled  on,  I  fired  into  their  midst  to 
change  their  course,  and  gave  chase.  The  wounded 
bull  soon  dropped  behind,  bleeding  at  the  nose. 
Then  I  tried  the  577  express,  which  quickly  brought 
him  to  the  ground.  A  few  hundred  yards  farther  on 
I  found  a  young  cow  lying  dead,  which  had  been 
killed  by  the  bullet  fired  into  the  troop.  Trotting  on 
the  spoor  for  a  mile  or  so  farther,  I  came  into  close 
proximity  to  them,  and  despatched  another  bull.  As 
they  stampeded,  I  went  on  the  spoor  and,  after  run- 
ning a  mile,  overtook  them.  They  now  seemed  ex- 
hausted, as  tlieir  stomachs  were  full  of  grass  and  water. 
I  wounded  a  cow,  which  fell  behind  the  others  as  they 
ran  along  very  slowly — so  slowly,  in  fact,  that  if  it 
were  not  for  stopping  to  shoot,  I  could  have  kept  up 
with  them.  As  two  big  bulls  turned  off  from  the  herd 
in  an  open  belt  of  country,  I  ran  up  to  them,  and  put  a 
shot  into  each.  Tlie}^  both  disappeared  into  a  bunch 
of  tall  grass  near  a  clump  of  trees.  Upon  approach- 
ing, I  saw  one  bull  about  fifty  yards  distant ;  but  as  I 
had  forgotten  to  lower  the  sights,  which  were  raised  to 
three  hundred  yards,  I  fired  over  him,  and  he  followed 
after  the  drove.  The  boys  climbed  trees  for  a  view  of 
the  other  one,  but  he  was  lying  down  so  that  they  could 


TCHININGA  ATTEMPTS  TO  WIPE  US  OUT  279 

not  see  him.  He  finally  gave  a  bellow  which  indicated 
that  he  was  dying.  I  then  went  carefully  into  the 
grass,  and  found  him  dead  ;  but  since  it  was  now  sun- 
down, and  my  ammunition  was  exhausted,  nothing  re- 
mained but  to  return  to  camp.  It  was  a  long  dreary 
walk  through  the  bright  moonlight ;  and,  because  of 
that  insatiable  greed  to  which  the  human  heart  is  heir, 
instead  of  feeling  elated  over  my  success,  I  was  much 
disappointed,  for  I  deemed  that  I  might  have  secured 
the  other  wounded  bull,  as  well  as  several  specimens 
more. 

The  following  day  I  sent  runners  to  Sinoia  to  tell  the 
people  to  come  for  the  meat,  and  carry  the  skins  and 
heads  to  my  camp  at  Damira's.  I  went  to  the  place 
where  I  had  killed  the  first  bull,  and  spent  the  rest 
of  the  day  in  taking  care  of  the  trophies.  At  night- 
fall crowds  of  natives  arrived  for  the  meat. 

The  boys  who  had  been  sent  to  bring  in  the  two 
specimens  farthest  away  returned  with  the  news 
that  they  had  been  stolen  by  Mashonas.  Early  the 
next  morning  we  hurried  to  the  place,  took  up  the 
spoor  of  the  thieves,  and,  tracing  it  for  about  half  a 
mile,  came  suddenly  upon  their  camp.  The  heads  of 
the  buffaloes  were  hanging  in  the  trees,  in  imitation  of 
my  camp,  while  the  skins  had  been  cut  into  little 
square  pieces  for  division  among  the  robbers.  They 
were  tying  up  the  meat  pre^Daratory  to  leaving,  when, 
unexpectedly  to  them,  I  appeared  in  their  midst. 
"You  are  doing  a  lot  of  shooting,  are  you  ?"  I  said 
to  them.  "  Yesee,  baas,"  they  replied.  Although 
they  were  considerably  surprised,  they  continued  with 
their  work  ;  but  when  I  lifted  my  rifle  from  my  shoul- 
der, certainly  without  any  thought  of  striking  any  of 
them,  they  took  it  to  mean  warfare.  Accordingly  they 
jumped  for  their  spears  and  guns,  which  were  lying 


280  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

around  the  inside  of  tlie  small  skerm,  and  bolted  in  all 
directions.  Tlieir  leader  was  a  tall,  slender,  surly  ap- 
pearing fellow,  and,  as  lie  bounded  from  the  skerm, 
he  threw  his  gun  over  his  shoulder  and  pulled  the 
trigger,  the  bullet  passing  near  me.  In  retaliation,  I 
hred  two  shots  into  the  air  to  frighten  him ;  but  if  I 
had  been  trying  to  hit  him  I  could  not  have  done  so, 
as  he  ran  diagonally  from  me,  at  the  same  time  watch- 
ing me,  and  every  time  I  lifted  the  gun  to  my  shoul- 
der he  threw  himself  forward  flat  on  the  ground.  My 
boys  piled  up  the  meat  and  pieces  of  skin,  fetched 
wood,  and  made  a  big  fire  with  which  to  burn  the 
booty,  determined  that  their  brother  Mashonas  should 
not  have  the  use  of  the  plunder  after  we  should  leave. 

While  they  were  thus  engaged,  I  saw  two  of  the 
offenders  perched  high  up  on  one  of  the  hills,  watch- 
ing us.  I  made  a  detour  to  the  back  of  the  hill, 
climbed  carefully  to  the  top,  crept  over  the  summit, 
and  walked  cautiously  down  the  side  toward  the  place 
where  I  had  seen  the  two  men  sitting,  and,  by  taking 
cover  from  tree  to  tree,  slipped  up  within  twenty 
paces  of  them  without  being  discovered.  I  had  no 
idea  of  harming  them,  and  was  so  pleased  at  being 
able  to  stalk  the  wily  aborigines  that  I  stood  for  a 
few  seconds  laughing  to  myself.  Then,  suddenly,  I 
gave  a  big  war-whoop.  Their  spears  and  battle-axes 
were  lying  near  them.  One  of  these  natives  was  a 
young  man,  who  quickly  grabbed  his  arms,  and  went 
bounding  down  the  hill  in  long,  flying  leaps.  The 
other,  an  old  man  with  gray  hair,  made  a  scramble  for 
his  weapons,  but  in  his  attempt  to  pick  them  up,  he 
lost  his  foothold,  and  went  rolling  down  the  declivity 
like  a  log  for  fully  fifty  feet  before  he  regained  his 
equilibrium.  Then  he,  too,  went  bounding  off  like  a 
wild  animal. 


TCHININGA  ATTEMPTS  TO  WIPE  US  OUT  281 

On  September  26th  we  once  more  started  for  the 
rhinoceros  country,  but  had  scarcely  left  camp  when 
we  came  across  another  herd  of  buffalo.  As  buffalo 
heads  were  in  demand  at  Salisbury,  I  yielded  to  the 
temptation  of  following  again,  and  brought  down  three 
tine  bulls  and  a  cow.  My  Mashonas  were  unusually 
exasperating  that  day.  I  had  sent  four  of  them  back 
to  those  remaining  behind  with  the  packs  to  tell  them 
to  hurry  on,  in  order  to  make  camp  near  the  second 
buffalo  killed,  and  to  work  at  removing  the  skins. 
Upon  returning  to  the  proposed  camping-place  in  the 
afternoon,  I  found  no  one  there.  After  waiting  a  long 
time  I  went  to  the  patch  of  timber  where  the  first  ani- 
mal had  been  slaughtered,  and  discovered  the  natives 
all  sitting  around  a  bee  tree,  taking  out  honey  and 
eating  it.  This  had  been  the  cause  of  delay  for  the 
last  four  hours.  I  could  catch  only  two  of  them,  but 
inflicted  such  salutary  chastisement  as  to  invigorate 
the  entire  crowd,  so  that  they  worked  industriously 
the  rest  of  the  day.  They  knew  that  they  had  done 
wrong,  and  were  suspicious  whenever  I  approached, 
lest  I  should  box  their  ears.  We  took  up  our  quarters 
in  the  thicket  where  the  natives  who  stole  the  buffa- 
loes had  camped. 

A  few  days  later  we  were  ready  to  make  another 
move  forward,  but  the  boys  who  had  been  sent  to  the 
spring  for  water  reported  that  the  buffaloes  had 
passed  within  a  few  yards  of  the  camp  during  the 
night.  I  soon  overtook  the  herd,  managed  to  approach 
within  thirty  yards  of  them,  and  succeeded  in  killing 
four.  This,  I  thought,  was  as  many  as  I  could  want, 
and  I  returned  to  camp. 

On  going  out  with  the  natives  after  breakfast  to 
skin  the  carcasses,  I  espied  the  same  herd,  lying  down 
and  chewing  their  cuds  in  the  edge  of  some  timber.  I 


282 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


crept  within  thirty  yards  of  them,  secured  two  more, 
and  then  gave  chase  across  an  open  flat  toward  our 
camp.  I  could  run  up  to  them,  but  dropped  behind 
whenever  I  stopped  to  shoot,  and  was  thus  unable  to 
choose  a  good  specimen.  I  was  nearly  out  of  breath 
when  they  smelled  the  camp  in  front,  and  turned  at 
right  angles,  running  by  me  at  about  fifty  yards.  I 
brought  another  pair  to  the  ground,  and  then  followed 
the  troop  for  two  and  a  half  miles  before  overtaking 
them.  At  two  hundred  yards'  distance,  I  shot  a  large 
bull ;  and  then  the  entire  drove,  led  by  a  cow,  turned 
and  ran  straight  towards  me.  The  natives  scrambled  up 
some  neighboring  trees,  while  I  stepped  to  an  ant-heap, 
and  began  sending  lead  into  the  charging  cow,  putting 
ten  shots  into  her  before  she  fell.  The  buffaloes,  how- 
ever, went  by  without  molesting  me.  By  sundown 
that  night,  we  had  the  skins  and  heads  of  the  ten 
animals  transported  to  our  camp. 

When  the  exhilarating  efforts  of  that  day's  success- 
ful chase  were  over,  and  I  lay  in  my  blankets  while 
the  soft  rays  of  the  moon  crept  gently  through  the  in- 
terstices in  the  foliage  of  the  mahobohobo  grove,  I 
viewed  with  intense  pleasure  the  trophies  hanging 
on  the  branches  of  the  adjacent  trees.  The  cry  of 
leopards  from  the  neighboring  hills  filled  me  with  the 
realization  of  my  presence  in  the  wilderness,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  a  fortnight  of  such  unfettered,  de- 
lightful existence  was  worth  ten  years  of  dwarfed  life 
in  the  overcrowded  city. 

By  this  time  several  of  the  Mashonas  had  become 
dexterous  at  preparing  specimens ;  thus,  by  setting 
two  boys  at  work  on  each  head,  I  got  the  trophies  all 
dressed  the  next  day.  Crowds  of  natives  came  for 
the  meat,  and  in  return  for  this  they  carried  the  skins 
and  skulls  to  Damira's,  twenty  miles  away. 


TCHININGA  ATTEMPTS  TO  WIPE  US  OUT  283 

Concluding  that  I  had  as  many  buffalo  heads  as  I 
could  possibly  want,  I  made  another  start  for  the 
white  rhinoceros  country.  Reaching  Eyre's  camp 
at  Tchininga's  on  the  evening  of  October  2d,  I  de- 
cided to  spend  a  few  days  in  endeavoring  to  trade  with 
the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  villages  for  meal 
with  which  to  feed  my  servants.  Accordingly,  on  the 
second  morning,  I  took  ten  boys  with  me,  some  carry- 
ing bags  to  hold  the  meal,  others  loaded  with  beads, 
salt,  and  calico  for  trading  purposes,  and  proceeded 
to  Tchininga's  kraal.  We  found  it  deserted,  every- 
thing having  been  removed  from  the  huts  and  hidden 
among  the  rocks.  Groups  of  natives  were  collected  on 
the  tops  of  the  neighboriag  hills,  but  we  met  with  none 
at  the  village.  An  air  of  suspicion  pervaded  the 
place,  but  I  could  not  conjecture  what  might  be  wrong. 
The  town  was  on  a  saddle  of  a  ridge  of  kopjes.  Upon 
one  side  the  latter  sloped  off  graduall3%  but  on  the 
south  were  perpendicular  lime-stone  cliffs,  two  hun- 
dred feet  in  height,  in  which  were  numerous  caves. 

As  I  was  unsuccessful  in  my  quest,  I  decided  to  re- 
turn to  camp.  The  path  wound  down  between  two 
kopjes,  then  underneath  the  cliff,  and  continued  across 
an  open  field.  As  we  were  filing  along  below  the  cliff, 
a  volley  was  fired  at  us  from  above,  the  bullets  drop- 
ping all  around  us.  My  first  thought  was  that  Tchin- 
inga  and  some  of  his  followers  were  trying  to  frighten 
us  for  amusement,  although  two  months  earlier  they 
had  fired  at  Mr.  Coryndon  in  earnest.  Their  insolence 
annoyed  me,  and  I  called  to  my  carriers,  who  were 
armed  with  spears,  not  to  run,  but  to  follow  me  in  or- 
der to  capture  the  bold  warriors.  Needless  to  say,  my 
native  allies,  just  then  deaf  to  orders,  fled  across  the 
open  field,  leaving  me  to  meet  the  enemy  alone.  As 
I  climbed  up  the  back  of  the  kopje,  the  echoes  of 


284  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 

a  fusillade  reverberating  from  the  cliff  at  the  other 
side  convinced  me  that  the  shots  were  being  directed 
at  my  boys,  as  they  were  touching  the  elevated  por- 
tions of  the  ground  in  their  hasty  retreat  across  the 
clearing. 

I  crept  stealthily  np  the  hill  in  the  rear  of  the 
enemy,  with  the  idea  of  doing  nothing  more  than  giv- 
ing the  Mashonas,  should  I  catch  them,  a  severe  lect- 
ure for  their  insolence ;  but,  as  I  neared  the  summit, 
and  noted  the  cracking  of  rifles  and  the  report  of  a 
tremendous  elephant  gun,  as  well  as  the  firing  of 
muskets,  I  was  seized  with  the  presentiment  that  the 
affair  was  far  more  serious  than  I  had  imagined.  I 
therefore  took  my  rifle  in  my  left  hand,  and  advanced, 
holding  my  revolver  at  full  cock  in  the  other. 

Just  as  I  reached  the  top,  a  burly  savage  jumped 
from  behind  a  large  rock,  and  at  a  distance  of  ten  feet 
poised  his  spear  to  drive  it  through  me.  I  saw  at  once 
that  it  was  a  case  of  kill  or  be  killed.  Instinctively  I 
pulled  the  trigger  of  the  revolver,  and  discharged 
three  shots  so  quickly  as  to  spoil  the  aim  of  my  assail- 
ant. His  assegai  missed  me,  but  my  three  bullets 
took  effect,  and  he  fell  dead,  actually  at  my  feet.  J 
was  greatly  startled  by  the  appearance  of  the  native, 
for  he  was  too  well  proportioned  for  a  Mashona,  and 
wore  a  breech-cloth  of  fur,  such  as  are  seen  only  on 
Matabeles.  Undoubtedly  he  was  a  Matabele,  and 
therefore  hostile. 

As  soon  as  I  found  that  beyond  all  question  the 
scoundrels  were  bent  on  murdering  me,  my  combative 
spirit  became  aroused,  and  I  thought  that  I  might  as 
well  have  it  out  with  them  at  once.  I  surmised  that 
the  chief,  Tchininga,  was  the  leader  in  the  cowardly 
attack,  as  he  had  previously  boasted  of  his  intention 
to  kill  white  men,  and  I  shouted  his  name,  saying 


TCHININGA  ATTEMPTS  TO  WIPE  US  OUT  285 

to  him  in  his  own  language  that  if  he  were  so  anx- 
ious to  fight,  now  was  his  opportunity ;  but,  with  the 
usual  cowering  of  the  African  aborigines  when  taken 
by  surprise,  none  of  those  who  had  been  firing  at  us 
so  bravely  a  minute  before  ventured  to  show  them- 
selves. They  had  evidently  crept  into  the  caves  among 
the  rocks. 

I  returned  to  my  camp,  sat  down  on  a  log,  and 
endeavored  to  collect  my  thoughts  sufficiently  to 
determine  what  the  affair  meant,  and  decide  upon 
my  future  course  of  action.  Somewhat  later,  one  of 
the  bravest  of  my  boys  put  in  an  appearance.  All 
the  others  had  bolted  into  the  forest,  and  some  did 
not  stop  running  for  more  than  an  hour  after  the  fir- 
ing. This  one,  however,  who  in  earlier  life  had  been 
a  Matabele  slave,  hid  himself  among  some  rocks  as 
soon  as  he  got  out  of  range  of  the  enemy' s  guns,  and 
when  the  firing  had  ceased,  stealthily  returned  to  see 
if  I  had  been  killed.  He  now  disclosed  a  fact  that  he 
and  all  the  rest  had  previously  known,  but  had  con- 
cealed from  me — that  three  Matabele  spies  had  been 
shadowing  me  for  more  than  a  week,  seeking  for  an 
opportunity  to  kill  me,  and  that  they  had  gone  to 
Tchininga's  kraal  at  the  same  time  that  I  had  arrived 
at  Eyre's  camp.  They  boasted  of  having  already  mur- 
dered three  white  men.  These  spies,  with  Tchininga 
and  five  of  his  Mashonas,  were  the  would-be  murder- 
ers who  had  fired  at  me  and  my  men.  As  I  had  slain 
one  of  the  Matabeles,  the  two  remaining  had  gone  for 
some  friends,  who  were  not  far  distant,  and  were  com- 
ing that  night  to  attack  me.  Tchininga  likewise  enter- 
tained the  same  determination,  and  announced  later  that 
he  had  fired  six  shots  directly  at  me  that  morning,  and 
would  have  killed  me  had  I  not  taken  medicine  which 
had  charmed  my  body,  and  thus  warded  off  the  bullets. 


286 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


One  by  one  those  of  my  natives  who  had  fled  came 
in  from  their  hiding-places  in  the  woods,  and  by 
sundown  all  had  returned.  They  were  much  fright- 
ened, as  they  now  deemed  themselves  in  danger 
because  they  were  working  for  me,  and  urged  me  to 
return  at  once  to  Damira' s.  Realizing  that  the  affair 
was  serious,  I  yielded  to  their  advice.  At  dusk  I  fol- 
lowed them  as  they  filed  off  into  the  woods,  and 
travelled  for  several  miles  in  the  darkness  through  the 
hills,  all  of  them  keeping  a  sharp  lookout,  apparently 
in  dread  of  being  pursued.  We  camped  in  a  small 
hollow  where  we  could  see  any  moving  object  about 
us,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  light  tramped  away  from 
the  hills  into  open  level  country. 

On  arriving  at  Damira' s  the  next  morning,  I  visited 
the  Eyres  at  their  new  camp  where  they  were  working 
some  mines,  told  them  what  had  happened,  and  asked 
them  to  go  back  with  me  to  see  if  we  could  not  capture 
the  spies.  Arthur  Eyre  would  not  go,  however,  without 
authority  from  the  acting  Administrator,  so  he  sent  a 
boy  to  Salisbury  with  a  letter  to  Mr.  Duncan,  asking 
permission  to  proceed  against  Tchininga  and  the  Mata- 
beles  harbored  there.  A  few  days  later  an  answer 
came,  stating  that  any  action  against  the  natives  would 
have  to  be  led  by  a  properly  authorized  officer  of  the 
Chartered  Company  ;  and  thus  the  matter  dropped. 

I  engaged  a  number  of  natives  to  carry  my  buffalo 
hides  and  heads  into  Salisbury.  While  waiting  for  the 
gang  of  carriers  to  return  from  their  first  trip  in  order 
to  take  the  remainder  of  the  material,  one  of  the  British 
South  Africa  Company's  police  troopers,  Mr.  Kenny, 
arrived  at  Damira' s.  Kenny,  with  one  other  man,  was 
stationed  in  the  Magondi  district  for  the  purpose  of 
informing  the  inhabitants  of  Salisbury  of  any  move- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  Matabeles  toward  Mashona- 


TCHININGA  ATTEMPTS  TO  WIPE  US  OUT  287 

land  that  miglit  be  rumored  among  Lo  Magondi's 
people. 

Before  Captain  Campbell,  the  commissioner  of  the 
district,  had  taken  his  departure  for  the  Matabele 
war,  he  left  orders  with  Kenny  that  certain  natives 
living  in  a  village  governed  by  a  chief  named  Inyama- 
gara  should  be  arrested  and  punished  for  various  thefts 
which  they  had  committed.  As  Kenny  was  alone,  he 
asked  me  to  assist  in  the  seizure,  and  I  consented. 
We  started  on  our  journey  at  midnight,  arriving  at  the 
stronghold  at  dawn.  Scaling  the  stockade,  we  made 
our  way  to  the  centre  of  the  kraal  before  we  were  dis- 
covered by  the  Mashonas.  As  soon  as  our  presence 
was  known,  a  howl  of  alarm  was  raised,  and  men, 
women,  children,  dogs,  and  cattle  went  fleeing  in  all 
directions,  like  rats  from  a  sinking  ship.  Kenny  rec- 
ognized one  of  the  offenders,  and  arrested  him.  He 
pointed  out  another  escaping  among  the  rocks,  and 
asked  me  to  catch  him.  I  went  in  pursuit,  but  the 
criminal  as  well  as  the  entire  population  immediately 
disappeared  into  the  caves  and  bushes  ;  so  I  gave  up 
the  chase  and  returned  to  Kenny,  whom  I  found  in  a 
raving  state  of  anger  at  having  been  totally  disarmed  ! 
As  he  had  led  away  the  culprit,  ten  savages  appeared, 
and  began  parleying  with  him.  While  he  was  warning 
them  not  to  come  too  near,  one  made  a  dive  from  be- 
hind, grabbed  his  heels,  and  threw  him  face  foremost 
to  the  ground.  The  others  immediately  fell  upon  him, 
stripped  him  of  his  rifle,  bandolier,  and  revolver,  un- 
bound the  prisoner,  then  escaped  as  fast  as  their  legs 
could  carry  them  into  the  caves  in  the  kopje. 

I  was  highly  indignant  at  this  insolence  on  the  part 
of  the  natives  in  thus  divesting  of  his  weapons  a 
properly  authorized  officer  of  the  law,  and  aiding  in 
the  escape  of  a  prisoner.    Having  worsted  the  Matabele 


288  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

spies  a  few  days  before,  and  having  escaped  the  ill-aimed 
bullets  of  the  Mashonas  as  well,  I  had  begun  to  fancy 
myself  almost  invulnerable.  If  not  like  Thackeray's 
Major  Gahagan  of  the  Irregular  Horse,  rated  as  the 
equivalent  of  one  thousand  soldiers,  I  nevertheless  felt 
sufficiently  angry  and  elated  to  believe  myself  a  match 
for  the  paltry  one  hundred  cowardly  warriors  who  were 
in  that  stronghold ;  so  I  followed  the  plunderers  into 
their  caves. 

Creeping  through  small  entrances  into  cavern  after 
cavern,  I  found  men,  women,  and  children  hiding  away, 
as  timidly  as  rabbits  concealed  in  a  burrow,  apparent- 
ly laboring  under  the  impression  that  I  was  either 
charmed  or  bewitched.  Although  it  was  extremely 
dark  in  the  caves,  I  could  easily  tell  by  the  odor  when 
I  was  in  close  proximity  to  human  beings.  When- 
ever I  struck  a  match,  and  recognized  the  refugees, 
they  promptl}^  informed  me  in  their  language:  "It 
wasn't  me,  white  man!  It  was  the  people  in  that 
other  hiding-place  !"  often  pointing  to  a  recess  which 
I  had  not  yet  discovered.  After  searching  in  vain  for 
Kenny's  accoutrements,  I  finally  emerged  from  the 
foul-smelling  darkness  to  find  them  piled  on  the 
ground  at  the  entrance,  where  the  audacious  robbers 
had  placed  them  for  me  while  I  was  inside.  But  there 
were  no  more  natives  to  be  seen,  and  thus  we  departed 
unsuccessful  in  our  attempt  to  capture  the  fugitives 
from  justice. 

A  few  days  later  the  carriers  came  for  the  rest  of  the 
skins ;  and  as  I  could  persuade  no  Mashonas  to  ac- 
company me  farther  on  the  rhinoceros  trip  for  fear 
of  the  Matabeles,  I  reluctantly  returned  to  Salisbury. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN 

The  Baker  Celebrates  Christmas  Day — An  Experiment  at 
Ranching — Our  Journey  Begins — Beautiful  Scenery — 
We  Reach  Umtali — A  Unique  Coffin — Descent  from 
the  Plateau — ''The  Deacon  of  Hong  Kong" — An  Im- 
penetrable Forest— The  Beira  Railway — Game  on  the 
Pungwe  Flats — The  Venice  of  South  Africa — New  Ophir. 

By  Christmas  tlie  Matabele  volunteers  had  been  dis- 
banded, and  many  had  begun  their  homeward  journey 
to  Salisbury.  The  sad  fate  of  the  brave  men  whose 
lives  had  been  sacrificed  in  the  campaign  had  cast  a 
gloom  over  the  successful  termination  of  a  struggle, 
the  short  duration  and  sudden  ending  of  which  aston- 
ished those  who  had  laid  claim  to  a  knowledge  of 
Kafir  warfare,  and  who  in  consequence  had  predicted 
a  long  and  bloody  conflict. 

Christmas  of  that  year  in  Salisbury  would  have 
been  a  day  of  commingled  sorrowing  and  rejoicing, 
had  not  the  escapade  of  the  only  baker  in  town  irre- 
trievably obliterated  whatever  small  amount  of  joy 
the  inhabitants  might  have  experienced.  On  Christ- 
mas Eve,  numerous  orders  for  cakes  and  other  dain- 
ties had  been  sent  to  the  bakery.  That  night,  with 
sleeves  rolled  high,  the  baker  dived  into  his  arduous 
labors,  pausing  at  his  work  only  to  take  an  occasional 
drop  of  brandy  by  way  of  a  stimulant.    At  about 

19  289 


290  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


three  o'  clock  in  the  morning,  while  surrounded  by  his 
half-finished  cakes,  and  with  pans  filled  with  nicely 
made  loaves  ready  for  the  oven,  a  dram  too  much 
threw  him  into  a  temporary  fit  of  madness.  He  began 
a  tirade  against  the  hollow  vanity  of  human  endeavor 
as  she  is  manifested  in  a  bakeshop,  scattered  broad- 
cast about  the  room  the  unbaked  fruits  of  his  labor, 
and  finally  closed  the  scene  by  falling  into  a  sonorous 
sleep  upon  the  floor. 

When,  after  sunrise,  he  raised  his  drowsy  person- 
ality from  the  debris^  and  contemplated  with  intense 
satisfaction  the  awful  wreck  about  him,  he  determined 
to  continue  the  celebration.  Hence  it  was  that  be- 
tween intervals  of  visiting  the  various  canteens  of  the 
place,  he  went  driving  in  his  donkey-cart  at  full  gallop 
up  and  down  Pioneer  Street,  swinging  his  whip  in  the 
air  and  shouting,  "Whoop!  'Rah  for  the  Derby! 
Whoop  !  whoop !  Clear  the  way  for  the  bloomin' 
Derby !  Whoop ! ' '  The  inhabitants  of  the  whole 
town  cast  forlorn  looks  of  dismay  as  he  sped  along  in 
his  imaginary  participation  in  London's  greatest  an- 
nual outing,  for  on  their  Christmas  dinner-tables  there 
was  not  only  an  absolute  dearth  of  cakes,  but  even  of 
that  greatest  of  all  necessaries,  the  staff  of  life.  Inci- 
dentally it  may  be  said  that,  in  partial  expiation  for 
thus  ill-using  his  fellow- townsfolk,  the  baker,  while 
subsequently  participating  in  a  similar  holiday  excur- 
sion fell  from  his  cart,  and  received  injuries  which  re- 
sulted in  his  demise. 

As  can  easily  be  imagined,  the  monotony  of  life  dur- 
ing a  rainy  season  in  those  early  times  induced  not  a 
few  others  to  indulge  in  the  eccentric  pastimes  which 
the  overflow  of  imported  spirits  suggests.  Not  having 
my  own  tastes  sufficiently  cultivated  for  the  highest 
enjoyment  of  such  pleasures,  and  yet  being  gifted  by 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN 


291 


inheritance  with  a  restless  disposition,  I  decided  to 
while  away  a  few  months  in  experimenting  at  hog  and 
cattle  ranching-  Having  unexpectedly  come  into  pos- 
session of  a  little  ready  cash  by  disposing  of  some 
mining  interests,  I  invested  in  a  few  head  of  live-stock 
and  prepared  to  trek  to  a  farm  near  Salisbury  in  order 
to  make  a  beginning. 

I  had  loaded  my  pigs  on  a  large  buck-wagon  and 
was  just  departing,  when  Mr.  Stuart  Meikle  happened 
along  and  kindly  informed  me,  apparently  in  all  seri- 
ousness, that  I  must  take  special  precautions  not  to 
allow  the  hogs  to  see  the  wheels  go  round,  for  in  South 
Africa  these  animals  are  said  always  to  die  from  the 
effect  of  such  optical  efforts.  As  my  mind  had  years 
before  outgrown  all  childish  superstitions,  I  dis- 
missed the  advice  as  nothing  more  than  an  attempt  at 
facetiousness.  I  continued  my  journey  with  no  inci- 
dent of  note  other  than  that  of  having  a  finger-nail  bit- 
ten off  by  one  unruly  pig,  until,  while  crossing  a 
branch  near  the  farm,  I  noticed  that  all  the  hogs  in 
the  back  part  of  the  wagon,  where  the  large  wheels 
were  in  plain  view,  were  struggling  and  gasping  for 
breath  as  though  in  the  throes  of  death.  Hastily  loos- 
ening their  fetters,  I  pulled  them  to  the  ground,  dashed 
water  over  them,  and  resorted  to  such  other  remedies 
as  were  at  hand ;  but,  alas !  in  a  very  few  minutes  I 
was  brought  to  the  realization  of  the  cruel  fact  that 
the  best  of  my  herd  had  expired. 

I  shall  not  venture  an  opinion  as  to  whether  death 
resulted  from  some  hypnotic  effect  of  the  revolving 
wheels  upon  the  vision  of  the  swine,  or  from  the  hot 
rays  of  the  sun,  which,  at  about  this  time,  had  come 
pouring  down  with  intensity  through  a  rift  in  an  om- 
inous black  cloud,  but  shall  leave  the  reader  to  judge 
of  that  for  himself.    Suffice  it  to  say  that,  added  to 


292  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


this  misfortune,  all  my  native  servants  deserted  me 
that  night,  my  cattle  strayed  away  into  the  wilderness, 
and,  to  cap  the  climax,  while  thus  forsaken  by  man 
and  beast,  I  was  seized  with  a  severe  attack  of  fever. 

These  slight  discouragements  were  sufficient  to  in- 
duce me  to  postpone  further  experiments  at  ranching 
to  a  future  date,  and  to  influence  me  to  plan  a  short 
sea-voyage,  in  order  to  rid  my  system  of  the  malaria 
which  had  been  accumulating  for  several  seasons. 

In  company  with  some  friends,  therefore,  I  started 
for  the  coast  on  January  14th.  Our  party  Journeyed 
in  an  old-fashioned  American  stage-coach  drawn  by  ten 
fractious  mules.  With  a  cracking  of  whips  and  a 
flourish  of  trumpets,  off  we  went  at  a  breakneck  speed. 
Beyond  the  city  limits  the  pace  slackened  to  a  trot, 
and  farther  on,  where  the  mud  and  sand  became  heavy, 
it  settled  into  a  walk,  and  finally  into  a  snail's  pace. 
Not  many  relays  had  we  travelled  ere  we  discovered 
that  our  vehicle  was  being  drawn  by  oxen.  Thus,  as 
often  in  life's  greater  journey,  was  the  ideal  trans- 
formed into  the  real ! 

This  slow  rate  of  travel,  however,  gave  us  a  better 
opportunity  for  viewing  the  landscape.  I  was  greatly 
impressed  with  the  magnificence  of  the  country  in 
Eastern  Mashonaland,  which  consists  largely  of  high 
rolling  prairies,  far  surpassing  anything  I  had  an- 
ticipated. Our  journey  was  undertaken  at  the  time 
of  year,  too,  when  the  fresh  verdure  of  the  vegeta- 
tion pictured  nature  at  her  best ;  and  it  seemed  to  me 
that  there  could  not  be  a  more  charming  country  in 
the  world.  When  we  came  to  the  edge  of  the  plateau 
overlooking  Urn  tali,  my  enthusiasm  was  raised  to  even 
a  higher  pitch.  The  most  picturesque  part  of  all 
Africa  is,  without  doubt,  the  district  of  Umtali,  with 
its  beautiful  mountains  and  valleys,  where  limpid 


/ 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN  293 


rivulets  and  rivers  send  their  waters  coursing  sea- 
ward. 

This  region,  as  well  as  other  parts  of  Khodesia,  is 
rich  in  mineral  deposits  and  great  in  its  agricultural 
possibilities.  As  it  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
nearer  the  coast  than  Salisbury,  and  two  thousand 
feet  lower,  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  robust 
appearance  and  ruddy  faces  of  the  inhabitants,  indi- 
cating an  absence  in  the  neighborhood  of  that  great- 
est of  African  scourges,  malarial  fever. 

As  we  neared  the  town  of  Umtali,  the  oxen  were 
replaced  by  mules,  and  again  the  whip  cracked  and 
the  bugles  thrilled  our  nerves  with  excitement.  The 
snail's  pace  was  changed  to  a  full  gallop,  and  the 
citizens  rushed  from  stores  and  houses  to  view  this 
magnificent  arrival  of  the  coach.  If  one  were  to  base 
his  judgment  of  stage  travelling  in  Africa  solely  upon 
the  arrival  and  departure  of  a  coach,  what  a  grand 
and  exhilarating  mode  of  journeying  he  would  take 
it  to  be! 

As  the  post-cart  for  Chimoia  had  left  Umtali  the 
day  previous  to  our  arrival,  our  party  engaged  an  ox 
wagon  to  convey  us  farther  in  the  direction  of  the 
Beira  Railway ;  hence  that  evening  we  were  journey- 
ing forward  once  more.  We  had  not  proceeded  far 
when  the  driver  pointed  out  to  us  the  locality  in 
which,  a  few  years  earlier,  a  wliite  man  had  been 
devoured  by  a  lion.  The  incident  is  fraught  with 
exceptional  interest,  as  illustrating  the  rough-and- 
ready  ways  of  frontier  life.  The  day  following  the 
unfortunate  accident,  a  lion  with  a  distended  stomach 
was  shot.  Upon  examination  it  proved  to  be  the  mis- 
creant. Thereupon  the  friends  of  the  man  buried  the 
carcass  of  the  lion — which  thus  formed  a  unique 
coffin — with  the  observance  of  such  Christian  funeral 


294  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


rites  as  it  was  convenient  under  the  circumstances  to 
extemporize. 

Upon  gaining  the  top  of  the  Christmas  Pass,  there, 
spread  before  us  like  a  panorama,  lay  the  country 
which  slopes  from  the  district  of  Umtali  eastward 
toward  the  coast.  As  we  descended  from  the  plateau, 
which  in  that  place  is  three  thousand  feet  above  sea 
level,  the  vegetation  became  more  rank  and  tropical  in 
its  appearance,  the  timber  heavier,  the  heat  more 
oppressive,  and  the  difficulties  of  travel  generally 
greater.  We  continued  slowly  forward,  crossing  deep 
ravines  and  rivers,  and  in  places  passing  through 
heavy  belts  of  timber,  much  of  which  was  similar  to 
that  on  the  plateau.  Finally,  we  arrived  at  Chimoia, 
the  end  of  our  wagon  journey,  this  being  as  far  as  the 
owner  could  allow  his  oxen  to  go,  because  between 
that  place  and  the  end  of  the  railway,  forty  miles 
ahead,  the  country  was  infested  by  the  deadly  tsetse 

fly- 

Africa  forms  no  exception  to  the  rule  that  in  fron- 
tier countries  one  meets  with  many  striking  characters. 
At  Chimoia  we  became  acquainted  with  several  odd 
and  interesting  specimens  of  humanity.  One  of  these 
furnishes  a  forcible  illustration  of  the  possibilities  in  a 
new  country  for  the  educated  dead-beat.  My  first 
knowledge  of  the  individual  in  question  was  at  the 
Cape,  where  he  was  honored  with  the  title  of  ' '  Deacon 
of  Hong  Kong."  He  was  there  looked  upon  by  the 
indulgent  proprietor  of  a  large  hotel  as  an  amusing 
and  eccentric  character  whose  idiosyncrasies  attracted 
trade  to  the  hotel  bar. 

Having  heard  much  of  Mashonaland,  the  Deacon  de- 
cided upon  a  tour  of  inspection.  By  what  method 
he  succeeded  in  travelling  to  the  Crocodile  River  I 
have  never  learned  ;  but  from  there  northward  he  beat 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN 


295 


his  way  by  representing  himself  as  the  owner  of  a  train 
of  transport  wagons  which  were  bound  for  Salisbury 
and  which  he  was  endeavoring  to  overtake.  Through 
extensive  conversation  with  the  men  whom  he  met  on 
the  road,  he  soon  learned  much  about  Mashonaland — 
its  people,  possibilities,  and  politics.  Thus  his  circle 
of  assumed  acquaintances  in  the  new  country  became 
great,  and  he  was  at  once  on  friendly  terms  with  every 
one  whom  he  met  by  his  intimate  knowledge  of  their 
particular  friends  "up  country."  He  eventually 
reached  Salisbury,  where  he  did  a  limited  amount  of 
gambling  ;  but  on  one  occasion  his  ''luck  was  out," 
and  he  lost  heavily.  The  next  morning  he  had  mys- 
teriously disappeared,  leaving  several  of  his  newly 
made  friends,  who  had  stood  security  for  him,  to  pay 
his  debts. 

He  next  appeared  at  Umtali,  where  he  learned  that  a 
prominent  farmer  of  that  place,  named  Mr.  Dennison, 
had  gone  to  the  Pungwe  River  to  shoot  hippopotami  ; 
so  he  travelled  from  there  to  Chimoia,  representing 
himself  as  a  nephew  of  that  gentleman.  As  everyone 
knew  the  respected  Mr.  Dennison,  the  Deacon  was 
easily  able  to  defer  the  payment  of  bills  for  food, 
shelter,  and  liquor  at  the  various  wayside  inns  until 
his  return  trip  with  his  uncle  !  At  Chimoia  he  almost 
met  his  match,  for  Pioneer  Mary,  proprietoress  of  a 
wayside  inn  and  store,  had  her  doubts  about  his  being 
the  nephew  of  his  '*  Uncle  Dennison."  Mary  there- 
fore demanded  that  her  husband  "make  the  stranger 
pay  up,"  but  the  latter  allayed  suspicion  by  feigning 
to  offer  a  note  too  large  to  be  changed. 

The  Deacon  soon  gained  the  friendship  of  a  young 
man  named  Fitzpatrick,  and  on  the  strength  of  his  as- 
sumed relationship  with  Mr.  Dennison,  succeeded  in 
borrowing  a  few  sovereigns  from  the  liberal -hearted 


296  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

young  "son  of  Erin."  That  afternoon,  at  the  Dea- 
con' s  hint,  the  two  decided  to  go  hunting,  the  Deacon 
of  course  borrowing  a  gun  from  the  proprietor  of  the 
store.  They  had  not  gone  far,  however,  when  "Uncle 
Dennison's  nephew  "  managed  to  lose  himself  in  the 
jungle,  and  Fitzpatrick,  being  unable  to  find  him,  re- 
turned at  sundown  to  Chimoia.  At  ten  o'clock  that 
evening  loud  jabbering  was  heard  nearing  the  store, 
and  presently,  in  company  wdth  some  natives,  in 
stalked  the  missing  Mmrod.  He  assumed  to  be 
greatly  annoyed  at  the  ill  luck  he  had  had  in  al- 
lowing a  wounded  antelope  to  escape  from  him,  and 
he  described  minutely  how  the  first  shot  had  broken 
the  animal's  shoulder,  and  how  he  had  pursued  it 
until  dark,  when  he  found  himself  lost  near  a  native 
village,  where  he  pursuaded  the  inhabitants  to  guide 
him  to  the  camp  of  the  white  men.  This  lie  was  so 
plausibly  told  that  it  removed  all  suspicion  that  his 
return  to  Chimoia  was  due  to  the  accident  of  his  fail- 
ing to  find  the  main  road. 

That  evening  the  Deacon  made  friends  with  two 
prospectors  who  had  arrived  en  route  for  Salisbury, 
and  the  three  began  a  game  of  cards.  Our  bar-room 
hero,  was  soon  caught  at  cheating,  wliereupon  a 
scene  was  enacted  in  which  the  prospectors  gave  the 
offender  a  most  merciless  beating.  The  victim  took 
this  ill  usage  with  good  grace,  and  thus  so  worked 
upon  the  higher  feelings  of  his  adversaries  that, 
in  partial  expiation  for  the  w^rong  they  had  done 
him,  they  settled  all  his  accounts  at  the  bar  and  sup- 
plied him  with  sufficient  money  to  continue  his 
journey. 

The  next  morning  he  took  his  departure,  directing 
his  steps  toward  the  coast.  As  he  was  tramping  along 
that  day,  he  met  with  a  score  of  the  Manica  Trading 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN 


207 


Company's  native  carriers  going  to  tlie  railway  for 
goods.  He  made  friends  with  them,  and,  upon  ap- 
proacliing  the  next  wayside  inn,  he  took  his  position 
at  the  head  of  the  caravan,  stalliing  up  as  tliougli 
the  whole  earth  belonged  to  him.  With  a  wave  of 
the  hand  he  sent  the  carriers  forward.  Hamhe  on" 
(Go  on),  he  said  to  them  ;  Mena  buy  a  by  and  by" 
(I  will  follow  presently).  To  the  owner  of  the  place 
he  explained  that  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Van 
Praag  of  the  Manica  Trading  Company,  and  was 
now  on  his  way  from  Umtali  to  the  railway  to  load 
his  porters  with  goods.  In  consequence  of  this  plau- 
sible explanation,  he  again  succeeded  in  securing  food 
and  drink. 

Bidding  adieu  to  our  eccentric  acquaintances,  we 
started  on  foot  for  the  railway.  At  one  place  our  road 
had  been  cut  through  a  dense  forest  composed  of  tre- 
mendous trees,  tangled  vines,  and  thick  underbrush 
which  formed  a  wilderness,  absolutely  impenetrable 
except  where  the  ax  had  been  called  into  use.  This 
strip  of  heavy  timber  was  twelve  miles  in  length  by 
four  in  breadth.  Up  to  this  date  I  had  seen  absolutely 
nothing  of  the  great  tropical  forests  concerning  which 
one  reads  so  much  in  the  books  of  Stanley  and  other 
African  explorers,  and  had  even  begun  to  entertain 
doubts  as  to  the  existence  of  wildernesses  through 
which  one  can  travel  for  days  without  obtaining  a 
glimpse  of  the  sun.  One  view  of  this  small  belt,  how- 
ever, led  me  at  once  thoroughly  to  appreciate  the  fact 
that  such  a  growth  of  vegetation  extending  over  a  large 
area  of  country  might  be  exactly  similar  to  the  impen- 
etrable jungles  of  equatorial  Africa. 

At  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  we  arrived  at 
the  terminus  of  the  Beira  Railway.  Seventy-five  miles 
of  this  road  had  been  completed.    Enormous  quanti- 


298 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


ties  of  mercliandise  en  route  for  Mashonaland  were 
stacked  about  the  place,  impressing  one  strongly  with 
the  imperative  necessity  of  rapidly  extending  the  line 
to  Salisbury.  Much  activity  prevailed  in  this  tempo- 
rary camp  of  tents  and  grass-built  shanties.  There 
were  several  canteens  where  stiff  drinks  could  be  had 
at  stiff  prices,  and  the  usual  amount  of  carousing  in- 
separable from  such  encampments  could  be  observed 
on  every  hand.  Heavy  rains  had  caused  many  wash- 
outs along  the  track,  and  there  had  been  no  traffic  on 
the  line  for  several  weeks  ;  but,  most  fortunately  for 
us,  ten  days  of  dry  weather  had  allowed  repairs  to  be 
prosecuted,  and  we  were  pleased  to  learn  that  a  train 
would  start  for  Fontesvilla  early  the  next  morning. 

What  smiles  of  joy  lighted  the  countenances  of  my 
companions  when,  at  dawn,  the  scream  of  the  loco- 
motive announced  that  we  were  on  the  move!  "Is 
this  real?"  exclaimed  Dr.  Rand.  "Is  this  the  long- 
looked-for,  the  long-hoped-for,  the  long-prayed-for, 
the  long-promised  Beira  Railway  ! "  It  is  true  that 
the  gauge  was  only  two  feet,  and  that  the  open  car  on 
which  we  rode  was  scarcely  wide  enough  for  three 
portly  men  to  sit  abreast !  It  is  true  that  the  sparks 
from  the  engine  set  our  clothes  on  fire,  and  that  we 
were  continually  slapping  our  arms  and  legs  and 
backs  to  prevent  our  skins  from  being  burned;  but 
what  cared  we  for  that !  What  though  our  eyes  were 
filled  with  cinders,  and  we  wept !  Were  not  our  tears 
those  of  jo}^  ?  When  the  little  engine  went  labor- 
iously puffing  and  snorting  up  steep  grades,  we  ran 
along  beside  the  train,  and  playfully  pretended  to 
lend  a  hand  by  pushing.  And  what  fun  it  was  when 
we  began  to  coast  down  hill !  At  times  we  actually 
reached  a  speed  of  eleven  miles  an  hour. 

An  excursion  on  the  fastest  express  under  ordinary 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN 


299 


circumstances  could  not  have  furnished  the  keen  de- 
light we  felt  that  day  while  riding  over  that  unique 
pioneer  railway.  When  the  reader  has  travelled  for 
months  in  ox  wagons,  through  grimy,  suffocating, 
blinding  dust,  at  a  rate  of  from  five  to  twelve  miles 
per  day  :  or  has  tramped  for  weeks,  with  blistered  feet 
and  aching  head,  under  the  sultry  rays  of  a  tropical 
sun ;  or  has  been  compelled  to  make  a  fifty  mile 
journey  across  a  malarious  river  flat,  traversing  nar- 
row, stifling  paths,  with  the  overhanging  vines  and 
grass  sending  down  copious  showers  of  dew  to  drench 
him  to  the  skin,  till  he  feels  as  though  he  were  a 
half-drowned  rat  emerging  from  a  slimy  sewer ;  when 
he  has  undergone  these  tortures — then,  and  only  then, 
can  he  appreciate  the  exhilarating  rapture  that  we 
felt  during  that  day's  journey. 

Thoughtless  and  captious  people  are  apt  to  indulge 
in  raillery  when  speaking  of  the  Beira  Railway  ;  and, 
indeed,  under  ordinary  conditions,  and  in  less  remote 
and  difficult  countries  than  Africa,  this  road  could 
scarcely  be  deemed  a  credit  to  the  present  advanced 
stage  of  the  world's  civilization;  but  when  we  take 
into  consideration  the  conditions  of  travel  which  that 
road  has  replaced,  and  the  tremendous  difficulties  sur- 
mounted in  its  construction,  we  are  then  impressed 
with  the  magnitude  of  its  real  worth.  It  is,  indeed, 
astonishing  to  see  the  heavy  loads  of  merchandise  and 
the  massive  machinery  which  are  transported  over  that 
narrow  line  ;  and,  if  properly  managed,  this  railway 
should  form  a  potent  factor  in  the  civilization  of  a  new 
African  country — the  building  of  a  new  empire.  To 
roads  such  as  this  are  we  to  look  for  the  reclaiming 
of  those  districts  in  the  interior  of  the  Dark  Continent 
which  have  baffled  the  civilizations  of  all  ages  down  to 
the  present  day. 


300 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


The  first  part  of  our  ride  took  us  through  a  timber- 
covered  hilly  country,  but  during  the  last  forty  miles 
we  passed  over  a  district  almost  level,  and  in  fact  not 
many  feet  above  the  Indian  Ocean.  This  belt  was 
covered  with  a  rank  growth  of  vegetation,  consisting 
of  a  thick,  matted  mass  of  very  tall  grass,  with  scrubby 
palm-trees  scattered  here  and  there. 

We  were  unable  to  see  many  herds  of  game,  and,  in 
consequence,  were  much  disappointed,  for  we  had 
often  heard  marvellous  fairy-tales  concerning  the 
countless  numbers  of  buffalo,  zebra,  wildebeest,  and 
other  varieties  of  large  animals  to  be  seen  on  either 
side  of  the  Beira  Railway.  But  our  journey  was  taken 
at  the  wrong  time  of  the  year,  for  it  is  in  the  months 
of  September,  October,  and  November,  after  the  rank 
growth  of  grass  has  been  burnt,  that  game  abounds  on 
the  Pungwe  fiats.  Although  considerable  shooting  is 
annually  done  on  these  bottoms,  many  decades  will 
doubtless  elapse  before  game  will  be  greatly  lessened 
in  numbers,  for  the  low  marshy  character  of  the  coun- 
try and  its  rank  growth  of  vegetation  give  to  animals 
excellent  cover.  A  greater  protection  than  this,  more- 
over, lies  in  the  intensely  malarious  condition  of  the 
soil,  which  visits  sickness  upon  those  who  sojourn  for 
even  a  short  time  in  the  neighborhood.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  rinderpest  ever  reaches  that  locality, 
it  will,  no  doubt,  play  sad  havoc  among  the  antelope 
and  buffalo. 

At  four  o'clock  that  evening  we  arrived  at  Fontes- 
villa,  having  travelled  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles 
in  by  far  the  quickest  time  we  had  been  able  to  make 
for  nearly  four  years.  Fontesvilla  was  the  Pungwe 
terminus  of  the  railway,  and  of  all  the  deadly  places  I 
have  ever  visited,  it  was,  without  exception,  the  worst. 
The  yellow,  sickly  appearance  of  the  inhabitants  sug- 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  IXDIAX  OCEAN 


301 


gested  to  our  minds  the  idea  of  people  who  walk  about 
to  save  funeral  expenses.  The  houses  were  built  on 
piles  fully  six  feet  above  the  swampy  soil,  and  in  times 
of  flood  the  inhabitants  went  from  house  to  house  in 
boats.  During  such  periods,  therefore,  Fontesvilla 
might  be  termed  the  Venice — or  rather  the  Brunei — of 
South  Africa.^  In  fact,  the  country  between  the  Pung- 
we  and  Zambesi  Eivers  is  so  low  that  during  heavy 
floods  the  waters  of  the  latter  inundate  the  Pungwe 
flats  to  some  depth,  and  even  submerge  many  miles  of 
the  Beira  Railway. 

Leaving  Fontesvilla,  we  journej^ed  down  the  Pungwe 
River  in  a  small  steam-boat  called  the  Agnes.  The 
banks  were  low  and  mudd}",  and  bordered  with  thick 
strips  of  mangrove  forest.  Forty  miles  by  boat 
brought  us  to  Beira,  the  port  of  entrance  to  Rhodesia. 
Upon  the  latter  the  port  depends  not  only  for  its 
prosperity,  but  even  for  its  existence.  Much  activ- 
ity prevailed  in  Beira  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  and 
streets  were  being  cut  through  the  undergrowth  which 
covered  the  small  strip  of  habitable  sand-bank  forming 
the  site  of  the  town.  The  foundations  of  the  houses 
appeared  extremely  insecure  in  the  soft  sand,  and  as 
they  were  but  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  I 
could  not  help  thinking  that  the  town  must  be  con- 
stantly in  danger  of  absolute  obliteration  by  the  first 
tidal  wave  that  might  chance  to  roll  in  that  direction. 

This  port  is  situated  but  sixty  miles  from  Sofala, 
the  ancient  Ophir,  and  the  outlet  in  Biblical  times  for 
the  wealth  of  gold  and  ivory  obtained  in  the  interior. 
Since  in  modern  days  Beira  has  replaced  that  fabled 

*  The  continuance  of  the  railway  to  Beira  and  the  recent  remoTal  of 
the  machine  shops  from  FontesTilla  to  a  more  healthful  altitude  have 
doomed  the  future  of  that  pestilential  spot  to  nothing  more  than  a  sepul- 
chre for  the  dead. 


302  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAX  FKOXTIER 


metropolis,  it  might  appropriately  be  called  Xew 
Ophir.  Among  the  white  population  were  represent- 
atives of  almost  every  Euro^Dean  nation ;  of  other  in- 
habitants, Indian  shopkeepers  seemed  to  predominate. 

When  our  ship  turned  her  prow  toward  the  Indian 
Ocean,  and  I  viewed  the  small  native  fruit  and  fish- 
ing craft  with  sails  spread,  plying  their  way  down  the 
coast  toward  ancient  Ophir,  and  di'eamily  watched  the 
gradually  disappearing  shore  suspended  b}'  a  mirage 
between  sky  and  ocean,  my  thoughts  became  lost  in 
reverie.  My  mind  was  overwhelmed  with  visions  of 
sceues  that  had  been  witnessed  in  this  land  in  the 
thousands  of  years  gone  by — visions  of  conquering 
armies  sent  to  subjugate  the  mysterious  people  resid- 
ing inland,  and  to  wrest  from  them  ivory,  slaves,  and 
gold  ;  visions  of  empires  that  had  risen  to  fade  away, 
leaving  only  crumbling  ruins  as  evidence  of  theu' 
existence.  The  spell  of  enchantment  which  that  in- 
teresting country  had  wrought  upon  me,  filled  me — 
even  then — with  an  irresistible  longing  for  a  quick 
return  to  its  fascinating  life. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

RHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTURAL  COUNTRY 

A  Change  of  Vocation— An  Amateur  Attempt  at  Bullock  Driv- 
ing— Razing  Timber — Some  Eccentric  Mounts — Land 
Fever — Malarial  Fever — Agricultural  Possibilities — Fruits 
— Timber — Kinds  of  Soil — Comparative  Situation  of  Salis- 
bury— Rainfall — The  Seasons — Cattle  Raising — Horse 
Sickness — The  Tsetse  Fly — Indigenous  Diseases — White 
Ants — Borers — Locusts — Building  a  Home  in  the  Wilder- 
ness— Two  Years  of  Prosperity  Succeeded  by  Pestilence 
and  Massacre. 

OuE  ocean  voyage  was  fraught  v^ith  no  small  amount 
of  instruction,  for  we  visited  in  turn  Delagoa  Bay, 
Durban,  and  various  other  places  of  importance.  I 
shall  not,  however,  dwell  upon  scenes  that  recent  liter- 
ature has  rendered  more  or  less  familiar  to  the  reader, 
but  shall  return  at  once  to  the  frontier. 

The  middle  of  June,  1894,  found  me  again  in  Salis- 
bury, making  preparations  for  another  hunting  excur- 
sion. Before  completing  my  equipment  I  learned 
that  Mr.  C.  A.  Moore,  of  California,  who  had  long  been 
a  resident  of  South  Africa,  had  generously  offered  to 
supply  our  National  Museum  gratuitously  with  such 
zoological  specimens  from  Rhodesia  as  might  be 
desired.  Thus,  as  my  services  in  that  direction  were 
no  longer  needed,  and,  furthermore,  as  experience  had 
taught  me  that  at  best  therp  is  little  more  in  store  for 

303 


304  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

the  professional  collector  and  sportsman  than  a  bare 
existence,  I  resolved  to  discontinue  my  favorite  occu- 
pation. Nevertheless,  it  was  with  great  reluctance 
that  I  came  to  this  decision. 

Realizing  the  possibilities  in  this  new  land  for  the 
persevering  and  industrious,  I  cast  my  eye  about  me 
for  an  opening,  and  concluded  to  experiment  with  my 
Pioneer  farm,  which,  in  the  early  part  of  1892,  I  had 
located  five  miles  from  Salisbury. 

Although  returning  from  my  trip  practically  penni- 
less, I  nevertheless  possessed  a  name  sufficiently  good 
to  enable  me  to  purchase  on  credit  a  span  of  sixteen 
oxen  and  a  wagon.  Loading  a  few  utensils  and  provis- 
ions on  my  cumbersome  vehicle,  T  started  one  evening 
at  sunset  for  the  farm,  accompanied  by  a  Mashona  who 
acted  as  leader.  Taking  the  long  whip  in  my  hand,  I 
attempted  the  driving  myself.  Perceiving  that  I  was 
unfamiliar  with  the  Dutch  language,  the  oxen  at  once 
surmised  that  they  were  dealing  with  a  tenderfoot,  and 
began  with  antics  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  The 
whip  kept  getting  wrapped  around  my  neck,  twisted 
in  the  yokes,  and  caught  in  the  bullocks'  horns,  and  I 
was  several  times  severely  kicked  on  the  shins  while 
trying  to  disentangle  it.  For  all  that,  I  was  able  to 
keep  the  brutes  fairly  well  under  control  until  we 
arrived  at  a  small  stream  about  a  mile  from  the  farm, 
where  it  behooved  them  to  stall  with  the  empty 
wagon. 

Here  the  circus  opened  in  earnest,  and  I  began  to 
lay  on  the  whip  and  screech,  as  I  had  noted  that 
all  good  drivers  do.  The  two  front  oxen,  Swartbooi 
and  Blessbok,  wheeled  about  and  came  running  back 
for  a  personal  interview  with  the  driver,  pulling  with 
them  the  Mashona  leader  ;  and  then  they  became 
hopelessly  entangled  in  the  trek-chain.  Dumbkraft, 


RHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTUEAL  COUNTRY  305 

imitated  by  several  otliers  who  seemed  to  look  to  Mm 
to  direct  their  actions,  wheeled  in  his  yoke  with  his 
tail  forward  and  his  head  toward  the  wagon.  Eink- 
hals  stood  on  his  hind  legs,  and  Engelsman  jumped 
over  the  trek-chain,  while  Links,  the  only  good- 
natured  ox  in  the  span,  was  trampled  underfoot. 
The  melee  became  terrific  with  bellowing  and  break- 
ing of  skeis ;  and  with  more  screeches  and  yells,  I 
inflicted  such  chastisement  as  I  deemed  proper.  The 
night  was  pitch  dark,  and  from  the  midst  of  the 
tumult  came  the  shouts  of  the  Mashona  entangled 
among  the  bullocks,  "  Yo-way^  mae-way^  teno  wafa^ 
teno  wafa!^^  ("Oh,  my  mother,  I  am  dying,  I  am 
dying ! ")  It  was  past  midnight  when  we  arrived  at  the 
farm.  The  native  had  really  been  more  frightened 
than  hurt,  but  by  daylight  the  next  morning  he  had 
fled  to  his  home.  For  my  own  part,  this  was  my  first 
and  last  attempt  at  driving  oxen. 

South  African  farming  differs  widely  in  its  methods 
from  farming  in  North  America  ;  but  my  particular 
kind  of  farming,  I  think,  differed  very  materially, 
even  from  the  methods  in  vogue  in  South  Africa.  I 
have  often  been  asked  what  I  raised  on  the  farm.  To 
this  my  reply  is,  that  my  energies  were  mainly  directed 
toward  razing  timber,  which,  when  sent  to  Salisbury, 
brought  remunerative  returns.  My  time,  therefore, 
was  chiefly  occupied  in  riding  about  and  overseeing 
threescore  savages  whom  I  had  engaged  to  assist  in 
the  work  with  American  axes. 

At  different  intervals  I  rode  such  animals  as  I  con- 
sidered the  state  of  my  finances  justified  me  in  pur- 
chasing. The  first  was  a  donkey ;  then  I  bought  a 
mule.  The  latter  was  exceedingly  amiable— while  he 
was  weak  and  thin  ;  but  as  he  regained  flesh,  he  be- 
came frisky  and  independent.  I  was  finally  obliged, 
30 


306  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 


for  the  safety  of  my  life,  to  dispose  of  tlie  treacherous 
beast ;  for  he  persisted  in  throwing  me  over  his  head 
several  times  every  day.  I  was  then  induced  to  try 
another  mule  which  was  recommended  as  being  ex- 
ceptionally docile.  She  behaved  properly  until  I  in- 
vested in  a  new  suit  of  white  duck.  Attired  in  this 
one  evening,  I  rode  her  home  from  Salisbury.  While 
walking  along  leisurely  in  the  dark,  she  shied  at  a 
stick  of  wood  in  the  road,  and  in  doing  so,  dis- 
covered a  white  object  on  her  back,  which,  apparentl}^, 
she  had  not  previously  noticed.  A  series  of  buck- 
jumpings  promptly  ensued,  equal  to  those  of  the  most 
expert  Western  bronco ;  and  eventually  I  was  left 
sprawling  in  the  dust.  Bruised  and  angry  I  continued 
the  rest  of  the  journey  home  on  foot,  preceded  by  the 
mule,  which  tauntingly  kept  just  a  few  yards  in  front 
of  me,  ready  to  saw  the  air  with  her  heels  should  I 
attempt  to  catch  her. 

Disposing  of  this  tricky  brute  I  next  became  the 
owner  of  a  club-footed  gray  mare.  There  was  nothing 
particularly  wrong  with  the  animal  except  a  propen- 
sity for  viciously  grasping  the  bit  in  her  teeth,  and 
bolting  into  the  bushes,  galloping  always  to  the  left 
and  coming  around  in  a  circle  to  the  starting-place. 
Not  a  very  desirable  animal  to  ride  when  attempting 
to  flee  from  an  enemy  in  battle !  The  next  mount  was 
a  fine-looking  brown  pony,  but  unfortunately  so  weak 
in  his  knees  that  when  cantering  along  on  a  smooth 
road,  he  now  and  again  fell  on  his  head,  and  tumbled 
over  on  his  back.  If  the  rider  did  not  display  ex- 
traordinary activity  in  scrambling  out  of  the  way,  he 
ran  great  risk  of  being  crushed  to  death.  These  somer- 
saults became  so  frequent  as  to  reach  the  stage  which 
may  be  termed  monotony,  and  I  was  profoundly  re- 
lieved when  at  last  I  felt  that  my  material  prosperity 


RHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTURAL  COUNTRY  307 

had  attained  the  point  where  I  could  afford  to  ride  a 
good,  sound,  sure-footed  horse. 

With  the  advent  of  prosperity  came  its  inseparable 
concomitant,  greed,  and  I  soon  found  myself  possessed 
of  the  land  fever,  as,  at  an  earlier  date,  I  had  been 
troubled  with  the  gold  fever.  Realizing  the  future 
possibilities  of  this  country,  I  decided  to  secure  a 
large  slice  of  its  domain,  while  it  was  still  thought  to 
be  of  little  value.  Of  course,  my  mark  was  set  at 
nothing  short  of  one  hundred  thousand  acres,  and 
I  went  to  work  purchasing  farm  rights  and  peg- 
ging off  farms  wherever  they  suited  me.  When  the 
twenty-seven-thousand-acre  point  on  the  scale  was 
reached,  however,  I  found  difficulty  in  getting  title 
to  my  estates,  for  the  Government,  as  well  as  the 
settlers,  had  at  last  begun  to  realize  that  land  in 
Rhodesia  would  some  day  be  of  value.  The  acting 
Administrator  asked  me  why  I  wanted  so  much  land. 
The  only  answer  I  could  give  him  was  that  I  wanted 
it  because  I  wanted  it.  Unforeseen  difficulties  arose, 
and  thus,  finally,  when  my  title-deeds  were  securely 
in  my  possession,  I  found  my  domain  curtailed  to  a 
paltry  twelve  thousand  acres. 

I  heartily  approve  of  placing  an  appropriate  check 
upon  greed.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  nothing  more  than 
fair  that  the  same  restrictions  and  duties  should  be 
imposed  upon  corporate  greed  as  upon  that  of  the  in- 
dividual. Hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres  of  the  best 
soil  in  Rhodesia  are  to-day  lying  idle  in  the  hands  of 
commercial  syndicates,  and  will  remain  so  for  years 
to  come.  When  looking  to  the  future  welfare  of  this 
country,  one  can  but  lament  that  so  many  immense 
tracts  of  beautiful  and  fertile  land  are  being  held  solely 
for  the  purpose  of  speculation,  instead  of  being  thrown 
open  for  the  free  staking  of  small  holdings,  to  which 


308  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 

thousands  of  farmers  from  the  Cape  Colony  and  other 
parts  of  the  world  would  gladly  migrate  for  the  oppor- 
tunity of  making  their  homes  upon  them,  and  literally 
growing  up  with  the  country. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Rhodesia  is  greater 
in  territorial  extent  than  the  combined  countries  of 
Germany  and  France,  only  a  portion  of  it  has  thus  far 
been  demonstrated  by  experiment  to  be  admirably 
suited  for  European  habitation.  This  is  the  plateau 
comprising  the  larger  part  of  Mashonaland  and  Mata- 
beleland,  and  ranging  from  three  to  six  thousand  feet 
above  sea-level.  It  extends  in  a  northeasterly  and 
southwesterly  direction,  covering  an  area  of  about 
four  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  from  two  hundred 
to  three  hundred  in  width.  This  forms  a  watershed 
from  which  the  rivers  flow  northwest,  north,  and 
northeast  into  the  Zambesi,  east  into  the  Pungwe  and 
Bozi  Rivers,  and  southeast  and  south  into  the  Sabi 
and  Limpopo  Rivers,  all  of  which  waters  find  their 
way  into  the  Indian  Ocean.  With  farther  explora- 
tion, many  other  regions  equally  as  attractive  will 
doubtless  be  brought  into  prominence. 

The  greatest  enemy  to  the  rapid  civilization  of  Africa 
is  malarial  fever.  As  the  equator  is  approached,  the 
successful  introduction  of  European  colonies  depends 
upon  the  immunity  from  malaria  which  is  obtained 
by  elevation.  The  plateau  in  question  is  compara- 
tively free  from  this  disease,  and  some  districts  are 
quite  exempt  from  it.  The  latter  are  Umtali  in  Eastern 
Rhodesia,  and  the  Inyanga  country,  also  in  Eastern 
Rhodesia,  elevated  six  thousand  feet  above  sea-level. 

On  the  plateau  of  Mashonaland  and  Matabeleland  a 
light  form  of  malaria  exists.  In  Mashonaland  this  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  country  is  well  watered,  and  to 
the  peculiar  character  of  the  granite  soil  which  holds  the 


RHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTURAL  COUNTRY  309 

moisture  in  the  valleys.  The  form  which  occurs  there, 
however,  is  not  worse  than  the  fever  and  ague  encoun- 
tered during  the  early  settlement  of  our  central  States. 
In  short,  it  is  scarcely  more  than  one  expects  to  meet 
in  the  first  settlement  and  the  breaking  up  of  the  soil 
in  any  new  region.  With  occupation,  the  heavy  stock- 
ing of  the  country  with  cattle,  the  cultivation  of  the 
land,  drainage,  and  the  planting  of  eucalyptus-trees, 
malaria  will  probably  disappear  entirely  from  Ma- 
shonaland,  as  it  has  from  many  Western  States  where 
it  was  prevalent  only  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 

As  we  descend  in  any  direction  from  the  plateau 
the  form  of  malarial  fever  becomes  more  virulent, 
until,  in  the  Zambesi  valley,  the  disease  is  so  severe 
that  Europeans  cannot  exist  there  for  many  years  at 
a  time.  The  native  population,  nevertheless,  is  com- 
paratively free  from  its  attacks.  To  reservations  in 
the  low  districts,  therefore,  might  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  be  removed,  thus  leaving  the  healthful 
plateau  solely  for  Europeans,  of  whom  it  is  capable 
of  supporting  vast  numbers. 

Soil  more  fertile  than  the  alluvial  deposits  of  the 
Zambesi  valley,  and  of  the  lowlands  toward  the  East 
Coast,  cannot  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  world.  The 
future  possibilities  of  these  localities  in  connection 
with  the  growth  of  sugar-cane  and  cotton  are  there- 
fore great.  Should  European  enterprise  never  suc- 
ceed in  inducing  the  natives  to  put  these  vast  areas 
under  cultivation,  steam-ploughs  and  the  possible  dis- 
covery of  better  methods  of  contending  against  ma- 
larial fever  may  yet  enable  the  Caucasian  to  redeem 
these  rich  districts,  in  spite  of  the  inborn  laziness  of 
the  aborigines. 

Owing  to  abrasions  and  the  consequent  carrying 
down  of  the  earth  to  lower  levels,  the  plateau  is 


310  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

naturally  less  fertile  than  the  Zambesi  valley.  Still, 
as  compared  with  other  parts  of  South  Africa,  it  is 
exceptionally  productive.  The  female  portion  of  the 
native  population  grow  quantities  of  maize,  pump- 
kins, melons,  sweet  potatoes,  rice,  ground  nuts, 
tobacco,  Kafir  corn,  beans,  and  other  vegetables. 
Thus  far,  the  farmers  who  have  settled  there  have  suc- 
cessfully raised  Indian  corn,  oats,  wheat,  barley,  pota- 
toes— in  short,  all  manner  of  cereals  and  vegetables 
produced  in  almost  every  other  part  of  the  world. 
All  varieties  of  cultivated  flowers  bloom  luxuriantly, 
and  when  once  started,  they  run  wild  in  the  gardens. 

The  country  is  too  young  for  one  to  say  definitely 
just  what  fruits  will  fiourish  there.  Oranges,  peaches, 
grapes,  and  pineapples  have  already  been  produced  ; 
and  I  have  seen  thrifty  young  trees  of  the  apple, 
plum,  cherry,  loquat,  apricot,  guava,  and  fig.  It 
seems  to  be  the  opinion  of  some  who  have  experi- 
mented, that  fruits  such  as  the  plum  and  peach  will 
seldom  come  to  maturity,  as  the  rains  occur  at  an 
unfavorable  period.  In  all  probability,  varieties  will 
yet  be  introduced  which  will  develop  at  the  proper 
season.  Many  lemon-trees  are  found  growing  wild, 
planted  presumably  in  earlier  times  by  the  Jesuits. 

Wild  fruits  are  plentiful,  but  they  are  mostly  as- 
tringent in  character.  They  are  principally  of  the 
stone  fruit  varieties,  and  are  produced  mainly  on  trees, 
though  some  kinds,  as  the  "uti,"  for  example,  grow 
on  small  bushes.  The  mohobohobo  seems  to  be  the 
favorite  among  the  Mashonas,  but  there  are  many 
other  fruits  quite  palatable  to  Europeans. 

On  the  plateau  the  timber  does  not  attain  a  great 
size,  although  occasionally  a  tree  reaches  a  diameter 
of  two  feet  or  more.  The  most  common  varieties  are 
the  machabel  and  the  umsassa.    The  latter  does  not 


RHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTUEAL  COUNTRY  311 

differ  greatly  in  appearance  from  a  half-grown  soft 
maple.  The  timbered  belts  are  made  up  chiefly  of 
small  trees,  saplings,  and  bushes,  with  large  trees 
scattered  through  them  here  and  there.  One  kind 
makes  excellent  charcoal,  but  the  timber  generally  is 
of  little  value  commercially,  except  for  firewood,  as 
it  soon  becomes  perforated  by  insects,  and  warps 
readily.  Foreign  species,  such  as  the  Australian  euca- 
lyptus and  the  wattle,  grow  rapidly,  and,  when  planted 
in  the  marsh  grounds,  where  the  white  ants  cannot 
interfere  with  them,  soon  develop  into  forests. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  soil  in  Mashonaland,  the  red, 
which  occurs  in  the  mineral  belt,  and  the  granite. 
The  red  soil  seems  the  more  lasting  and  productive  of 
the  two,  and  there  are  sections  where  large  areas  of 
this  land  can  be  put  under  cultivation  in  one  field. 
The  granite  soil  makes  good  pasture-land,  and  near 
the  vleis  or  lower  portions,  where  the  earth  has  been 
washed  down  from  higher  elevations,  one  finds  ex- 
cellent black  loam  often  six  feet  in  depth.  But  in 
order  properly  to  utilize  these  damp  meadows,  drain- 
age is  necessary,  as  the  earth  becomes  saturated  with 
water  during  the  wet  season.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
an  advantage  to  have  the  moisture  thus  retained  dur- 
ing the  dry  weather,  for  because  of  it  two  crops  of 
some  kinds  of  vegetables,  as  potatoes,  for  example,  can 
be  raised  each  year.  Some  districts  are  excellently 
adapted  for  irrigation,  and  winter  crops  of  oats  and 
wheat  can  be  grown  by  this  means  on  the  same  ground 
that  has  produced  a  heavy  crop  of  Indian  corn  during 
the  summer. 

Salisbury,  which  is  practically  the  centre  of  the 
country,  is  situated  on  a  parallel  of  latitude  south  of 
the  equator  corresponding  nearly  to  that  of  the  City 
of  Mexico,  north  latitude.    In  elevation  above  the  sea 


312  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

it  is  almost  identical  with  Denver,  with  a  climate 
equally  exhilarating.  On  the  whole,  the  climate  is 
similar  in  many  respects  to  that  of  California,  with 
the  exception  that  in  Rhodesia  the  rainy  season  takes 
place  in  the  summer  months,  while  the  dry  season  oc- 
curs in  the  winter. 

Sufficient  observations  have  not  been  taken  to  decide 
as  to  the  exact  average  of  rainfall,  but  it  seems  to  be 
in  the  neighborhood  of  thirty  inches  per  annum,  al- 
though one  year  over  fifty  inches  fell.  Rain  may 
occur  at  any  time,  but  as  a  rule  the  wet  season  be- 
gins in  October,  the  showers  increasing  in  frequency 
in  November,  while  the  heaviest  storms  occur  during 
December  and  Januar3^  There  is  a  falling  off  in  quan- 
tity of  precipitated  moisture  during  February  and 
March,  and,  generally,  by  April  the  rains  have  ceased. 
The  rainy  season  does  not  bring  with  it  uninterrupted 
wet  weather.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  oftentimes 
two  or  three  weeks  of  beautiful  clear  days,  and  even 
during  the  wet  spells  a  portion  of  the  morning  may  be 
pleasant,  followed  in  the  afternoon  by  a  gathering  of 
clouds  and  a  heavy  downpour.  At  other  times  there 
may  be  a  week  or  two  of  continuously  misty,  damp, 
and  foggy  weather. 

April  is  practically  the  autumn,  or  the  beginning 
of  winter.  An  occasional  shower  of  rain  may  fall 
then,  but  that  is  rare.  During  this  month  and  the  one 
that  follows,  the  grass  on  the  prairies  turns  from  green 
to  yellow,  and  by  the  end  of  May  it  is  very  dry. 
Then  begin  what  are  commonly  known  as  veld  fires, 
or,  as  we  should  call  them  in  America,  prairie  fires, 
which  are  usually  started  by  the  natives  in  their 
search  for  field-rats.  Great  columns  of  smoke  rise 
during  the  day,  thus  making  the  atmosphere  hazy, 
while  at  night  the  glow  of  fires  in  various  directions 


RHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTURAL  COUNTRY  313 

gives  a  weird  appearance  to  the  surroundings,  and  the 
landscape  soon  becomes  black,  parched,  and  desolate. 

Frosts  are  common  during  May,  June,  and  July. 
Ice,  the  thickness  of  a  knife-blade,  is  sometimes  seen, 
but  it  is  of  infrequent  occurrence,  while  snow  is  un- 
known. In  the  winter  the  east  wind  blows  hard  and 
cold,  and  the  cattle,  which  become  thin  from  the 
scarcity  of  pasturage,  suffer  greatly.  August  may 
be  called  the  month  of  spring,  for  then  the  warm 
weather  begins,  and  the  young  tender  grass  shoots  up 
from  the  damp  vleis.  Most  trees  retain  their  foliage 
during  nearly  the  entire  year.  But  in  August  there 
is  a  general  sprouting  of  young  leaves,  which  gives  a 
pinkish  tinge  to  the  forests.  September  and  October, 
the  months  preceding  the  rains,  are  the  hottest.  The 
thermometer,  however,  does  not  often  go  above  ninet}^ 
in  the  shade.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  wind  during 
the  winter,  the  prevailing  winds  coming  from  the 
southeast.  September  is,  as  a  rule,  the  windiest  part 
of  the  year,  and  disagreeable  dust  storms  are  at  that 
time  frequent  in  Salisbury  and  Bala  way  o.  They  come 
in  the  form  of  small  whirlwinds,  and  are  a  source  of 
great  annoyance. 

This  plateau  is  excellently  adapted  for  cattle-raising. 
Before  the  conquest  of  Matabeleland  vast  herds  were 
pastured  there  by  the  natives.  Numerous  stone  pens 
scattered  over  Maslionaland  indicate  that  at  one  time 
cattle  grazed  there  also  in  great  numbers.  Pleuro- 
pneumonia occurs  in  Rhodesia  as  it  does  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  but  if  timely  precautions  are 
taken  in  the  way  of  inoculation,  its  ravages  are  not 
disastrous.  There  are  a  few  poisonous  plants,  such  as 
the  tulip,  but  losses  from  this  source  are  small.  Rin- 
derpest has  recently  swept  away  nearly  all  the  cattle, 
but  this  is  a  plague  which  is  liable  to  visit  any  country, 


314  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 

and  has  been  in  times  past  quite  as  disastrous  in  Eu- 
rope as  it  has  been  in  Africa.  Sheep  and  goats  thrive, 
as  do  hogs,  donkeys,  dogs,  and  cats. 

Horses  and  mules  are  subject  to  the  horse-sickness 
already  mentioned.  Donkeys  are  absolutely  free  from 
it,  and  it  is  very  slight  among  hinnies.  With  care, 
however,  horses  may  for  many  years  have  the  most 
excellent  health.  This  has  been  proven  by  the  impor- 
tation of  race-horses,  which,  only  in  rare  instances,  are 
attacked  by  horse-sickness.  When  men  study  more 
thoroughly  the  cause  of  this  disease,  and  discover  pre- 
ventatives or  a  cure,  as  no  doubt  will  be  done  in  time, 
this  calamity  will  be  greatly  lessened,  or  perhaps 
avoided  altogether.  There  are  some  districts  where 
horses  thrive  excellently,  as  near  Marendella' s,  for 
example,  and  probably  other  localities  will  yet  be 
found  equally  healthful.  Since  donkeys  are  exempt 
from  this  disease,  and  since  Africa  is  their  original 
home,  where  they  seem  possessed  of  far  more  energy 
than  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  doubtless  the  impor- 
tation of  large  breeds  will  be  of  great  assistance  to 
the  farmers. 

Cattle  are  at  present  mainly  used  for  farming  pur- 
poses and  for  transport,  but  they  are  at  a  great  disad- 
vantage during  the  dry  season,  as  they  then  become 
weak  from  want  of  food.  If  the  farmers  would  adopt 
the  system  of  curing  hay  and  fodder  as  feed  for  stock 
during  the  winter  months,  as  is  done  in  other  agricul- 
tural countries,  this  difficulty  would  be  removed. 

In  addition  to  pleuro-pneumonia  among  cattle,  and 
horse-sickness  among  horses,  there  is  in  Rhodesia  that 
worst  of  all  scourges  to  stock,  the  tsetse  fly.  This  is  a 
great  drawback  to  the  importation  of  machinery  to 
many  of  the  mining  districts,  which  lie  in  the  fly-in- 
fested sections.    Traction  engines  and  railways  will 


RHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTUKAL  COUNTKY  315 

be  necessary  to  overcome  the  obstacles  created  by  this 
insect  pest.  Fortunately,  the  tsetse  fly  does  not  occur 
on  the  plateau.  It  is  met  with  mainly  in  the  low-lying 
country  bordering  the  Zambesi  River.  This  insect  is 
somewhat  similar  in  appearance  to  a  house  fly,  but 
about  three  times  as  large.  Its  bite  is  fatal  to  all 
domestic  animals,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  affect  wild 
game  or  man.  When  badly  bitten,  horses  and  cattle 
usually  succumb  in  two  or  three  weeks.  Donkeys 
last  longer.  Few  animals,  however,  ever  recover  from 
its  bite.  Until  recently  the  supposition  has  been  en- 
tertained that  a  direct  poison  is  introduced  into  the 
system  by  the  bite  of  the  fly.  Surgeon-Major  David 
Bruce  of  the  British.  Army,  after  a  long  series  of  ex- 
periments in  Zululand,  has  advanced  the  theory  that 
"the  tsetse  acts  as  a  carrier  of  a  living  virus,  an  in- 
finitely small  parasite,  from  one  animal  to  another, 
which  enters  into  the  blood-stream  of  the  animal  bitten 
or  pricked,  there  propagates,  and  thus  gives  rise  to 
the  disease."  This  theory  is  more  in  harmony  with 
modern  science. 

Yery  little  effort  has  ever  been  made  on  the  part  of 
the  Dutch  voortrekkers  to  remedy  indigenous  dis- 
eases or  prevent  the  ravages  of  pests,  since,  according 
to  their  belief,  these  are  the  visitations  of  God,  and 
should  not  be  interfered  with  by  man.  In  their  simple 
way  they  have  designated  every  malady  with  the  term 
sickness^  as  "horse-sickness,"  for  the  disease  among 
horses,  "lung-sickness,"  for  pleuro-pneumonia,  and 
"fowl-sickness"  for  disease  among  chickens. 

One  of  the  greatest  pests  that  occur  in  Rhodesia  is 
a  termite  called  the  white  ant,  which  is  found  almost 
everywhere,  but  is  far  more  numerous  in  some  parts 
than  in  others.  Unless  buildings  are  so  constructed 
that  these  insects  cannot  make  their  way  into  the  floors 


316  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


and  walls,  great  havoc  is  made  with  clothing  and  all 
sorts  of  woodwork  and  furniture.  The  common  way 
of  destroying  a  colony  of  white  ants  is  by  digging  into 
the  nest  and  killing  the  queen. 

The  native  woods  in  the  country  are  attacked  by  a 
small  beetle  commonly  known  as  the  borer,  which  is 
brown  in  color  and  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length. 
When  native  timber  is  used  in  the  construction  of 
buildings  and  fences,  myriads  of  borers  enter  the 
wood,  and  soon  leave  a  hollow  shell  filled  with  fine 
dust.  Imported  timber  is  not  attacked  by  the  borer  ; 
and  since  this  is  used  in  the  erection  of  buildings, 
these  pests  are  of  great  assistance  to  the  foreign  lumber 
trade.  At  the  season  of  the  year  when  these  insects 
are  at  work  in  the  rafters  of  a  hut  built  of  native  tim- 
ber, a  continuous  shower  of  yellow  dust  falls  over 
everything.  They  seem  to  work  in  eight  hour  relays, 
and  thus  keep  the  dust  falling  day  and  night,  to  the 
great  annoyance  of  the  occupants  of  the  hut.^ 

When  we  call  to  mind  the  devastation  wrought  by 
the  grasshoppers  in  the  seventies  throughout  Iowa, 
Kansas,  and  Nebraska,  and  read  of  the  present  ravages 
of  the  locusts  in  Argentine  and  other  parts  of  the 
world,  we  are  convinced  of  the  fact  that  Africa  suffers 
not  alone  in  such  afflictions.  It  was  some  time  subse- 
quent to  the  Pioneer  occupation  of  Mashonaland  that 
locusts  began  to  appear  in  Rhodesia.  They  have 
gradually  increased  until  they  have  become  a  source 
of  considerable  annoyance  to  the  farmers.  Parasites, 
however,  are  now  rapidly  working  destruction  among 
the  swarms  of  locusts,  so  that  their  numbers  are  on 

*  Valuable  teak  forests  have  quite  recently  been  discovered  to  the 
northwest  of  Bulawajo.  This  timber  the  borer  does  not  attack.  Lumber 
made  from  it  dresses  excellently,  and  it  is  now  being  used  for  building 
purposes,  and  for  making  furniture. 


EHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTUKAL  COUNTRY  317 

the  wane,  and  they  will  very  likely  be  reduced  to  a 
minimum  in  a  few  years. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  various  inconveniences 
in  the  way  of  pests  mentioned,  it  can  easily  be  sur- 
mised that  my  experience  at  farming  was  not  altogether 
free  from  trials,  which  beset  the  farmer  in  all  parts  of 
the  world.  But,  with  potatoes  at  a  shilling  a  pound, 
and  sheaf  oats  at  a  shilling  a  bundle,  and  with  other 
products  selling  at  proportional  figures,  most  of  these 
disadvantages  were  fully  compensated  for  by  the  lib- 
eral returns.  Thus  far  the  facilities  for  raising  crops 
in  Rhodesia  have  not  been  the  best ;  for  one  is  obliged 
to  depend  almost  entirely  on  native  labor,  which  is  of 
a  low  quality  of  intelligence,  and  can  by  no  means  be 
depended  upon  as  being  obtainable  when  required. 
When  the  rate  of  transportation  shall  have  been  re- 
duced by  the  railway  companies,  so  that  useful  farm- 
ing machinery  can  be  imported  cheaply  from  America, 
the  farmer  will  fare  much  better,  and  Rhodesia  will 
take  a  favorable  position  among  the  agricultural  coun- 
tries of  the  world. 

There  is  a  fascination  about  building  a  home  in 
the  wilderness  which  one  must  feel  in  order  to  ap- 
preciate. The  pleasure  of  viewing  the  rapid  growth 
of  trees  and  plants  about  me,  rendered  the  two 
years  spent  on  my  farm  in  the  bracing  atmosphere  of 
Mashonaland  among  the  most  enjoyable  that  I  have 
ever  experienced.  I  was  not  long  in  clearing  the  forest 
from  around  my  homestead,  from  which  I  had  a  beau- 
tiful view  of  Salisbury  five  miles  away.  The  surveyor, 
Mr.  Sawerthal,  knowing  of  the  patriotism  that  swells 
in  the  breast  of  every  true  American,  appropriately 
named  my  farm  Bunker  Hill.  As  I  viewed  from  my 
elevated  position  the  growing  capital  of  England's 
new  empire,  and  my  thoughts  wandered  to  that  great 


318  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFBICAN  FEONTIER 

empire  of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  the  increasing 
grandeur  of  which  England  contemplates  with  paren- 
tal pride,  I  conceived  the  idea  of  calling  my  homestead 
"Arlington  Heights."  Its  position,  as  compared  with 
Arlington  Heights  near  Washington,  quite  justified 
the  naming,  except  for  the  fact  that  the  Makabusi 
River  is  insignificant  in  comparison  with  the  broad 
Potomac. 

During  the  years  1894  and  1895  prosperity  reigned 
in  Rhodesia,  as  the  Chartered  Company's  territories 
were  now  collectively  named.  JS'evertheless,  Salis- 
bury noted  with  much  jealousy  the  more  rapid  de- 
velopment of  her  sister  town,  Bulawayo.  To  the 
special  favor  which  seemed  to  have  been  given  to  the 
latter  by  the  authorities,  was  mainly  due  this  envious 
feeling.  For  all  that,  thoughtful  people  realized  that 
the  prosperity  of  Bulawayo  meant  eventually  the 
prosperity  of  Salisbury,  for  Matabeleland  and  Ma- 
shonaland  are  one  and  the  same  country.  During 
these  two  3^ears  values  had  rapidly  increased  on  prop- 
erty in  town,  country,  and  mining  district.  Stands, 
claims,  farm  rights,  loot  rights,  and  mining  rights  were 
in  great  demand.  The  impetus  given  to  these  lively 
times  was  the  result  of  the  great  Kafir  boom  in  Lon- 
don, during  which  the  intelligent  and  ordinarily  cool- 
headed  British  public  went  mad  over  South  African 
speculation,  and  the  celebrated  Barney  Barnato  had 
only  to  shout  '^New  company!"  to  induce  men  to 
tumble  over  one  another,  in  their  haste  to  advance 
millions  to  support  the  enterprise.  It  was  this  boom 
that  made  it  possible  to  dispose  of  mining  properties 
which  had  long  been  waiting  for  capital  to  develop 
them.  Encouraged  by  this  new  stimulus,  prospectors 
went  farther  and  farther  afield,  discovering  mining 
localities  hitherto  undreamed  of. 


RHODESIA  AS  AN  AGRICULTURAL  COUNTRY  319 

During  the  period  of  prosperity  there  were  certain 
movements  on  the  part  of  the  Chartered  Company 
authorities  which  were  a  mystery  to  everyone.  These 
were  the  construction  of  the  large  Rhodesia  Horse 
stables  at  Salisbury,  the  encouragement  of  rifle  prac- 
tice, and  the  general  interest  created  in  military  af- 
fairs. All  sorts  of  conjectures  were  made  as  to  the 
meaning  of  these  warlike  preparations.  Some  predict- 
ed another  Matabele  war,  others  suggested  that  the 
Company  had  in  view  an  expedition  to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  Barotsi  country,  north  of  the  Zambesi 
River,  while  others  thought  that  it  meant  difiiculties 
with  the  Portuguese  over  Gazaland.  No  one,  how- 
ever, seemed  to  suspect  for  a  moment  that  it  signi- 
fied trouble  with  Paul  Kruger  and  the  Transvaal  Re- 
public. With  the  Jameson  raid,  at  the  beginning  of 
1896,  the  tide  of  Rhodesia's  prosperity  turned. 

Just  prior  to  the  raid,  there  had  been  a  lively  agita- 
tion in  Salisbury  against  the  Chartered  Company  for 
its  dilatoriness  in  pushing  forward  the  Beira  Railway. 
A  petition  had  been  formulated  by  the  citizens,  which 
was  to  be  presented  to  the  Queen,  asking  that  the 
British  Government  take  in  hand  the  building  of  the 
road  from  the  coast.  Owing  to  the  Jameson  raid, 
however,  the  matter  was  promptly  dropped,  and  the 
petition  was  withdrawn  on  the  ground  that  it  would 
be  imprudent  to  embarrass  Mr.  Rhodes  and  the  Char- 
tered Company  during  that  serious  crisis.  As  a  return 
for  this  generous  consideration,  four  hundred  miles  of 
road  were  built  from  Maf eking  to  Bulawayo,  between 
the  time  of  that  agitation  and  November  4,  1897, 
while  Salisbury  may  consider  herself  lucky  if  the  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  which  lay  unfinished  between 
her  and  Cliimoia  shall  have  been  completed  by  Novem- 
ber 4,  1899. 


320  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

But  the  depression  caused  by  the  Jameson  raid  was 
insignificant  as  compared  with  the  calamities  which 
lay  in  store,  but  a  few  months  ahead,  for  the  inhabi- 
tants of  E-hodesia.  In  the  early  part  of  February, 
1896,  Mr.  R.  T.  Coryndon  returned  from  a  sojourn  on 
the  Loangwa  River,  north  of  the  Zambesi,  and  reported 
that  European  rinderpest,  which  for  several  years  had 
been  steadily  working  its  ravaging  course  of  destruc- 
tion from  Uganda  southward  through  Central  Africa, 
annihilating  vast  numbers  of  native  cattle  and  wild 
game,  had  crossed  the  Zambesi  River.  Little  notice 
was  taken  of  this  announcement,  for  it  seemed  to  be 
the  general  opinion  that  the  plague  would  be  confined 
to  the  low  sickly  belts  of  country,  and  would  not 
affect  the  healthful  plateau.  Nevertheless,  the  disease 
soon  appeared  at  Bulawayo,  where  every  effort  was 
made  to  check  it,  but  in  vain.  About  the  middle  of 
March  it  had  broken  out  in  Salisbury,  and  a  fortnight 
later  the  commonage  around  the  town,  which  had  been 
recently  dotted  with  thriving  live-stock,  presented  the 
appearance  of  desolation  and  death.  Fully  ninety- 
seven  per  cent,  of  the  cattle  seized  with  the  disease 
perished.  The  effect  was  much  as  though  the  stock 
had  been  poisoned.  The  plague  was  characterized  by 
running  at  the  eyes  and  nose,  and  the  peeling  off  of 
the  skin  from  the  gums  and  tongue.  The  afilicted  ani- 
mals became  emaciated,  and  death  quickly  followed. 

Scarcely  had  the  settlers  realized  the  terrible  dis- 
aster that  had  befallen  them  in  this  pestilence,  thus 
sweeping  off  a  large  percentage  of  their  accumulated 
wealth  and  almost  their  only  means  of  transportation, 
when  came  the  news  of  the  native  insurrection  in  Mata- 
beleland,  and  the  awful  butcheries  there. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


THE  MATABELE  REVOLT 

Causes  of  the  Uprising — The  Rhodesia  Horse  Start  for  Mata- 
beleland — Mr.  Rhodes  asked  to  be  a  Father  "  to  the  Boers 
— Encounter  with  Savages  at  Makalaka  Kop — The  Column 
Arrives  at  Gwelo— Narrow  Escape  of  the  SaHsbury  Scouts. 

A  GREAT  controversy  has  arisen,  and  mucli  senseless 
criticism  has  been  indulged  in,  concerning  the  causes 
of  the  Matabele  revolt.  The  close  of  the  war  of  1893 
was  marked  not  so  much  with  the  subjugation  of  the 
Matabeles,  as  with  the  overawing  of  those  savages  by 
the  fearless  nerve  displayed  by  the  white  men,  and  the 
bewilderment  which  the  sudden  overturning  of  a  time- 
honored  state  of  affairs  brought  upon  the  clouded  in- 
tellects of  the  aborigines.  The  natives  accepted  what 
then  seemed  to  them  the  inevitable,  and  settled  peace- 
ably among  their  white  conquerors.  A  little  later, 
however,  when  they  began  to  realize  what  a  mere 
handful  of  men  had  taken  possession  of  the  land  of  a 
powerful  and  famous  military  nation,  they  were  over- 
whelmed with  chagrin.  This  was  especially  the  case 
among  the  members  of  the  royal  family  and  the  vari- 
ous military  leaders  of  prominence,  whose  first  morti- 
fication quickly  grew  into  a  fixed  resolution  to  bide 
their  time  and  seize  an  opportunity  to  expel  the  in- 
truders. 

First  and  foremost,  therefore,  among  the  real  causes 

21  321 


322  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


of  rebellion,  was  the  unconquered  spirit  of  the  savages 
chafed  into  a  deliberate  determination  to  revolt  by  the 
restrictions  which  the  conditions  of  civilization  thrust 
upon  them.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  that  which 
appeals  to  the  wisdom  of  the  cultured  man  as  a  change 
for  the  better,  is  liable  to  appear  to  the  low  intellect 
of  the  savage  as  a  galling  interference  with  personal 
liberty.  Hence  it  was  that  the  checking  of  certain 
barbarous  customs  of  the  Matabeles  created  much  dis- 
content. Particularly  was  this  true  among  the  witch- 
doctors, whose  cult  seemed  likely  to  suffer  serious 
damage.  The  labor  question  ^ — an  indispensable  ele- 
ment in  the  transition  from  barbarism  to  civilization 
in  Africa — naturally  wielded  its  influence  ;  but  the 
importance  of  this  factor  has  been  much  over-esti- 
mated. Of  no  small  weight  was  the  visitation  of 
drought  and  locusts  at  about  the  time  of  the  advent 
of  the  whites  in  the  country,  the  presence  of  which 
was  attributed  to  the  invaders.  The  appearance  of 
rinderpest  among  their  cattle  was  traced  by  them  to 
the  same  source. 

Beyond  question  the  Chartered  Company  has  made 
mistakes  in  the  management  of  the  natives  ;  but  these 
have  been  mainly  in  the  form  of  too  great  leniency, 
and  not  in  the  line  of  oppression,  as  many  critics  who 
know  nothing  of  the  real  facts  of  the  case  endeavor  to 
maintain.  The  right  to  demand  an  indemnity  from  a 
conquered  civilized  nation  seems  never  to  be  ques- 
tioned. On  the  principle  of  indemnity,  the  Chartered 
Company  took  cattle  from  the  Matabeles  at  the  close 
of  the  war  of  1893.  Had  these  savages  been  dispos- 
sessed of  every  head  of  their  stock  immediately  after 
the  termination  of  the  war,  there  would  have  been  little 
likelihood  of  subsequent  trouble,  for  in  this  wise  they 

*  Discussed  in  Chapter  XXVIII. 


THE  IVLVTABELE  EEVOLT 


323 


would  have  been  thoroughly  subdued.  Such  proceed- 
ings would  have  been  regarded  by  them  as  the  legiti- 
mate outcome  of  the  war.  On  the  contrary,  large 
numbers  of  cattle  were  distributed  among  the  Mata- 
beles  in  order  that  they  might  restock  their  country. 
In  addition  to  this  the  Chartered  Company  entrusted 
to  their  care  the  cattle  which  had  been  claimed  for  in- 
demnity, to  be  drawn  upon  from  time  to  time  as  re- 
quired— fatal  generosity.  By  this  method  of  treat- 
ment the  idea  was  impressed  upon  the  minds  of  the 
natives  that  they  were  being  grossly  wronged  ;  and 
their  discontent  regarding  the  management  of  the  cat- 
tle question  finally  culminated  in  wide-spread  indigna- 
tion which  was  aroused  through  the  shooting  by  the 
Government  of  large  herds  of  native  cattle  to  prevent 
the  spread  of  rinderpest. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  causes  of  the  insurrection 
was  the  establishment  of  a  police  force  composed  of 
Matabeles.  This  plan  was  resorted  to  partly  for  the 
purpose  of  economy,  but  largely  with  the  idea  of  gain- 
ing the  good- will  of  the  savages,  and  impressing  them 
favorably  with  the  generous  intentions  of  the  Govern- 
ment. As  is  known  the  world  over,  power  cannot  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  negro  without  turning  his 
head  so  far  that  he  feels  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  be 
domineering.  Thus  with  the  authority  which  their 
official  position  gave  them,  the  Matabele  police  prac- 
tised all  manner  of  abuses  upon  their  brethren  until 
life  with  the  latter  became  unbearable. 

At  the  end  of  1895  the  conditions  were  ripe  for  re- 
bellion, and  when  Dr.  Jameson  removed  the  British 
South  Africa  Company' s  police  to  the  Transvaal  bor- 
der, he  afforded  an  opportunity  for  the  discontented 
spirits  to  carry  their  designs  into  execution.  The 
Matabeles  recognized  but  two  classes  of  men — warriors 


324  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

and  slaves.  When  they  heard  of  the  results  of  the 
Jameson  raid,  they  assumed  that  all  the  fighting  men 
of  Rhodesia  had  been  disposed  of  by  the  Boers,  and 
that  hence  there  would  be  little  diflSculty  in  dealing 
with  the  unprotected  white  maholis  (slaves),  who,  scat- 
tered over  the  country,  were  ploughing  the  fields  and 
working  the  mines.  The  visitation  of  rinderpest  among 
the  cattle  of  the  whites  led  the  witch-doctors  to  point 
to  the  manner  in  which  the  Matabele  gods  were  turn- 
ing the  tables  on  their  enemies,  namely,  by  destroying 
the  white  men's  principal  source  of  food  and  only 
means  of  transportation.  The  smouldering  embers 
once  fanned  into  a  blaze  spread  with  astonishing  ra- 
pidity throughout  the  districts  of  Matabel eland,  and 
the  old  story  of  massacre  on  the  frontier,  with  all  its 
attendant  horrors,  was  repeated. 

Immediately  upon  receipt  at  Salisbury  of  the  news 
of  the  disasters  in  Matabeleland,  the  reorganization 
and  equipment  of  a  force  called  the  Rhodesia  Horse 
was  at  once  undertaken,  with  the  object  of  proceeding 
to  the  assistance  of  the  imperilled  colonists  at  Gwelo 
and  Bulawayo.  This  corps  consisted  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  many  of  whom  were  the  early  settlers 
of  the  country. 

Mr.  Robert  Beal  was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel, 
and  several  more  of  the  old  Pioneers  were  elected  as 
officers.  I  joined  this  body  without  delay  ;  and  it  fell 
to  my  lot  to  be  chosen  as  one  of  the  twelve  scouts 
who  became  known  throughout  the  expedition  as  the 
Pirates.  The  Salisbury  Column,  as  the  force  was  gen- 
erally designated,  shortly  proceeded  to  the  Hanyani 
River,  twelve  miles  from  Salisbury,  where  it  was  de- 
layed a  few  days  during  the  completion  of  its  equip- 
ment. Much  difficulty  was  experienced  in  providing 
transportation,  for  mules  were  scarce,  and  oxen  died 


THE  MATABELE  KEVOLT 


325 


of  rinderpest  almost  as  fast  as  tliey  were  purchased 
by  the  Chartered  Company. 

Notwithstanding  these  hindrances  our  column 
moved  forward  on  April  18,  1896.  No  incidents  of 
particular  note  occurred  until  we  arrived  at  a  place 
called  Enkeldoorn,  near  the  border  of  Matabeleland, 
where  a  colony  of  Boers  residing  in  the  surrounding 
neighborhood  had  gone  into  laager  on  account  of  the 
massacres.  These  people  fired  salutes  in  honor  of  Mr. 
Rhodes,  who  was  travelling  with  us,  and  received  him 
with  such  other  marks  of  distinction  as  they  deemed 
appropriate.  The  chairman  of  the  reception  committee 
read  an  address  in  which  the  distinguished  man  was 
asked  to  be  a  "Father"  to  the  Boers  who  had  come 
to  make  their  homes  in  Rhodesia,  as  Oom  Paul  Kruger 
had  been  a  "Father"  to  the  Boers  in  the  Transvaal. 
Mr.  Rhodes  began  his  paternal  offices  by  generously 
contributing  from  his  private  purse,  partly  to  make 
good  the  heavy  losses  which  the  Boers  had  sustained, 
through  rinderpest  among  their  cattle,  and  further  by 
supplying  food  to  those  in  need.  After  purchasing 
a  number  of  good  "salted"  horses  from  these  farm- 
ers, our  column  hastened  forward  toward  the  seat 
of  war. 

On  April  30th  we  reached  Makalaka  Kop,  where 
we  had  anticipated  trouble  with  the  natives,  as  there 
the  road  wound  through  a  belt  of  rugged  country  bor- 
dering a  territory  composed  of  timbered  hills  and  val- 
leys, and  forming  excellent  fastnesses  in  which  the 
savages  might  conceal  themselves.  The  system  in 
vogue  was  to  keep  the  scouts  several  miles  ahead  of 
the  column  in  order  to  seek  for  traces  of  Matabeles. 
As  we  approached  a  small  kraal,  we  were  fired  upon 
for  the  first  time ;  but  as  the  guns  of  the  enemy  had 
been  leaning  over  a  stone  wall,  the  bullets  had  prob- 


326  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIEE 

ably  rolled  out  before  the  explosion,  hence  none  of 
our  party  were  hit.  We  returned  the  fire,  and  gal- 
loped at  once  into  the  village,  where  we  made  the 
offenders  howl  for  mercy  as  they  attempted  to  escape 
among  the  rocks  in  the  valley  below. 

From  our  position  we  perceived  a  large  kopje  cov- 
ered with  Kafirs  —  at  least  five  hundred  of  them. 
They  appeared  to  be  holding  a  council  of  war.  We 
made  several  conjectures  as  to  the  distance  of  the  hill 
from  our  position,  and  tried  to  measure  it  by  firing 
with  our  long-range  rifles,  the  Lee-Metfords.  The 
natives  were  so  far  away  that  they  could  scarcely 
have  heard  the  report  of  our  guns.  Finally  one  of 
our  scouts,  E.  W.  Meyer  (from  Brooklyn,  JST.  Y.), 
placed  his  sights  at  seventeen  hundred  yards.  Evi- 
dently his  bullet  landed  in  the  enemy's  midst,  for 
they  disappeared  at  once  from  off  the  top  of  the  hill, 
running,  crawling,  rolling  —  any  way  to  get  out  of 
sight.  They  immediately  gathered  again,  and  fired 
a  volley  toward  us  from  their  muzzle-loading  guns, 
the  tremendous  report  reverberating  from  hill  to  hill. 
These  warlike  demonstrations  were  sufficient  evidence 
that  they  intended  to  dispute  the  further  advance  of 
our  column. 

After  burning  two  villages,  we  made  off  to  see  if 
we  could  discover  the  exact  position  of  the  enemy, 
and  estimate  their  numbers.  We  had  ridden  more 
than  a  mile  around  the  hills,  and  had  come  to  an 
opening  between  two  large  kopjes,  where,  spread  out 
before  us,  was  a  bowl-shaped  valley  covered  with  a 
thicket  of  bushes.  It  was  surrounded  by  high  rocky 
bowlders  and  craggy,  timber-covered  kopjes.  Accom- 
panied by  a  young  man  named  Clark,  I  went  to  a  hill 
on  the  east  to  reconnoitre.  We  gained  the  summit 
without  mishap,  and  obtained  from  it  an  excellent 


THE  MATABELE  REVOLT 


327 


survey  of  the  country.  By  searching  with  field-glasses, 
we  soon  discovered  that  a  large  force  was  lying  in  wait 
among  the  rocks  and  bushes  surrounding  the  valley, 
evidently  expecting  that  w^e  would  enter.  We  could 
make  out  fully  a  thousand  savages  ;  and  had  our  party 
of  twelve  entered  the  trap,  we  should  never  have  come 
out  alive. 

Over  a  bare  granite  hill  in  the  distance  we  saw  a 
band  of  warriors  filing  toward  us,  and  by  their  spotted 
shields — made  of  cowhide — we  surmised  that  they  were 
a  regiment  of  Matabeles  coming  from  a  stronghold 
called  Maven.  Clark  went  back  to  the  Captain,  who 
was  in  the  valley  below  with  the  other  men,  to  report 
the  situation,  while  I  retained  my  position  on  the  little 
kopje.  On  its  summit  were  some  interesting  ancient 
ruins,  which  I  tried  to  observe  with  one  eye  while 
watching  the  enemy  with  the  other.  My  enthusiasm 
in  viewing  the  beauty  and  symmetry  of  this  ancient 
structure  was  beginning  to  swell,  when  suddenly  a 
volley  was  fired  at  me  from  a  hill  a  few  hundred  yards 
to  my  left.  I  had  not  counted  upon  the  enemy  being  so 
near  ;  and  as  the  bullets  began  to  hail  thickly  around 
me,  I  concluded  to  retire  from  my  position. 

The  scouts  were  not  enticed  into  the  valley  as  the 
natives  had  anticipated,  but  returned  to  the  main  road, 
where  they  halted  at  a  stable  belonging  to  the  stage 
company.  While  we  were  cooking  breakfast  we  dis- 
covered the  body  of  a  Kafir,  who  had  been  in  charge 
of  the  mules — a  rope  around  his  neck  indicating  the 
method  that  the  Matabeles  had  used  in  murdering 
him. 

Captain  Taylor  of  the  native  contingent  soon  arrived 
with  two  hundred  friendly  Maslionas,  and  at  once  be- 
gan clearing  a  place  for  the  column  to  laager.  Again 
I  was  sent,  in  company  with  another  scout,  to  the  top 


328  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 

of  a  neigliboring  granite  kopje  to  keep  an  eye  upon 
the  movements  of  the  enemy.  We  observed  that  they 
had  reassembled  upon  the  hill  on  which  we  had  first 
seen  them,  and  that  apparently  they  had  been  joined 
by  the  Maven  regiment.  They  continued  their  indaba 
for  about  half  an  hour  ;  then  we  saw  a  large  number 
of  them  rise  and  go  swiftly  down  the  hill-side.  Very 
soon  they  appeared  on  the  top  of  the  kopje  where  the 
old  ruins  were.  From  there  they  evidently  obtained 
a  good  view  of  our  situation,  and  we  next  perceived 
that  they  were  running  down  toward  us  in  single  file. 
At  about  eight  hundred  j^ards  from  us  they  entered 
among  some  trees  and  bushes  in  a  deep  ravine. 

At  this  juncture  two  more  scouts  came  to  relieve  us, 
but  scarcely  had  we  turned  to  go,  when  a  body  of 
savages  emerged  from  the  bushes  a  short  distance 
in  front,  and  began  firing.  We  galloped  from  the 
top  of  that  stony  kopje  in  double-quick  time,  and 
were  scarcely  two  hundred  yards  from  it  when  we 
observed  that  its  summit  was  black  with  barbarians 
who  were  now  peppering  us  with  lead.  We  hastened 
back  to  the  stable,  about  half  a  mile  away,  and 
apprised  our  part}^  of  the  fact  that  the  savages  were 
bearing  down  upon  us.  The  two  hundred  friendly 
natives  immediately  left  their  work  and  fled  toward 
the  column.  As  they  were  on  foot,  they  could  not 
travel  fast,  and  the  Matabeles  perceiving  that  they 
were  unarmed,  came  running  across  a  meadow  to  head 
them  off,  evidently  intending  to  massacre  them.  We 
rode  between  the  friendlies  and  the  enemy,  and  kept 
the  latter  in  check  by  firing  on  them.  Although  their 
return  fire  was  heavy,  not  one  of  our  part}^  was  hit, 
and  we  soon  made  it  so  warm  for  them  that,  after 
several  had  been  wounded,  they  beat  a  hasty  retreat 
to  the  kopje. 


THE  MATABELE  KEVOLT 


329 


In  the  meantime  a  messenger  had  been  sent  to  in- 
form the  Colonel  of  the  trouble  at  the  front.  A  troop 
of  forty  men  under  Captain  Hoste  soon  appeared. 
Joined  by  the  scouts,  they  spread  out  in  skirmishing 
order,  and  galloped  straight  for  the  top  of  the  hill, 
which  was  covered  with  fully  eight  hundred  savages. 
The  position  was  taken  with  but  little  resistance ;  and 
when  we  arrived  at  the  summit,  not  a  native  was  to  be 
seen  in  any  direction.  Two  scouts,  however,  who  had 
been  sent  along  the  ridge  to  the  left,  were  soon  fired 
upon,  the  enemy  having  taken  their  stand  a  little  far- 
ther down  among  the  trees  and  rocks.  We  hurried  to 
the  place,  and  poured  such  a  heavy  shower  of  lead  into 
the  thicket  that  we  quickly  drove  them  from  their 
cover.  A  few  minutes  later  we  saw  them  running  like 
whipped  dogs  over  a  hill  a  thousand  yards  away,  hav- 
ing left  a  number  of  dead  and  wounded  behind  them. 

Laager  was  formed  at  the  post  stable,  and  there 
were  no  more  natives  to  be  seen  in  the  neighborhood 
that  evening.  Nevertheless,  we  could  hear  talking 
during  the  night  at  the  villages,  from  which  the  Mat- 
abeles  were  removing  grain  to  the  hills.  One  troop 
of  men  was  sent  out  early  the  next  morning  with  a 
machine-gun,  but  not  a  sign  of  life  could  be  met  with 
in  any  direction. 

We  now  moved  to  Gwelo,  where  four  hundred 
settlers  had  gone  into  laager  for  protection.  A  large 
number  had  been  massacred  in  the  surrounding  dis- 
trict, and  from  the  beginning  of  the  outbreak  those 
who  had  been  able  to  collect  at  the  laager  had  ex- 
pected that  an  attack  would  be  made  upon  them  ;  but 
owing  to  their  position  in  open  country,  the  savages 
had  evidently  dreaded  the  undertaking.  Doubtless, 
the  Matabeles  had  been  playing  a  waiting  game  with 
the  idea  that  the  white  people  would  eventually  starve 


330  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


to  death ;  for  they  were  aware  that  provisions  were 
limited,  and  that  the  community  was  reduced  to  fur- 
ther straitened  circumstances  by  the  fact  that  their 
cattle  were  being  rapidly  swept  off  by  the  plague.  In 
a  few  weeks  the  five  thousand  head  in  the  neighbor- 
hood had  been  reduced  through  the  ravages  of  the 
rinderpest  to  live  hundred. 

Several  days  after  our  arrival  at  Gwelo  the  Salis- 
bury scouts,  in  company  with  some  Gwelo  guides, 
were  sent  to  reconnoitre  the  native  stronghold  at 
Maven,  about  twenty  miles  away,  where  the  Mata- 
beles  had  collected  in  large  numbers.  The  natives  at 
Maven  had  been  exceedingly  insolent,  and  many 
white  men  had  been  murdered  by  them,  as  well  as  a 
large  number  of  friendly  Kafirs  who  had  been  work- 
ing at  the  mines.  According  to  report  over  two  thou- 
sand fighting  men  were  gathered  at  that  stronghold. 

Our  party  of  twelve  made  their  way  to  the  place 
during  the  night,  traversing  a  wilderness  of  thorn- 
bushes,  tall  grass,  and  rocks.  Our  guide  was  an  Ameri- 
can named  Reed,  who  had  been  a  scout  in  some  of  our 
Indian  wars,  and  he  was  wonderfully  adept  in  taking 
his  course  in  the  correct  direction,  guided  solely  by 
the  starlit  heavens.  The  ride  that  night  had  its  ele- 
ment of  danger,  for  we  were  liable  at  any  moment  to 
fall  into  ambush.  This  was  early  in  May,  and  although 
there  was  no  ice  on  the  small  pools  of  water  near  which 
we  passed,  the  air  was  so  crisp  and  frosty  that  in  spite 
of  a  warm  overcoat,  it  was  cold  enough  to  make  one 
shiver. 

We  reached  the  stronghold  just  after  daylight, 
and  were  spying  about  and  flattering  ourselves  that 
we  had  not  been  observed  by  the  natives,  when  the 
startling  discovery  was  made  that  we  were  being 
stealthily  surrounded.     Some  Matabele  scouts  who 


THE  MATABELE  KEVOLT 


331 


had  seen  us  approach  had  given  the  alarm,  and  we 
were  thus  allowed  to  ride  deliberately  into  a  trap. 
Beyond  some  bushes  two  hundred  yards  in  front  we 
could  hear  cattle  lowing,  and  people  talking  as  if  they 
were  unaware  of  our  presence.  Thus  was  our  atten- 
tion attracted,  while  a  regiment  of  warriors  quietly 
filed  down  a  ravine  a  few  hundred  yards  below  us. 
Fortunately  we  heard  a  muffled  word  of  command 
from  one  of  the  Matabele  officers,  and  perceiving  the 
danger  of  our  situation,  we  tiirned  and  fled  for  our 
lives.  The  natives  immediately  came  rushing  down 
from  two  sides,  thus  forming  the  wings  of  the  crescent 
so  successfully  adopted  in  Zulu  warfare. 

We  were  compelled  to  cross  the  roughest  piece  of 
ground  imaginable,  where  the  grass  was  tall,  and 
where  there  were  large  holes  into  which  our  horses 
were  in  great  danger  of  falling.  In  fact,  several  of  the 
horses  did  fall  into  these  pits,  but  luckily  jumped  out 
again  without  throwing  their  riders.  These  were  the 
most  exciting  moments  I  have  ever  experienced  ;  and 
as  we  dashed  past  the  savages  at  about  eighty  yards, 
their  bullets  came  flying  over  us  with  the  "whizz," 
"zip,"  "ping,"  and  other  musical  sounds  which  their 
rough-edged  missiles  make  while  passing  through  the 
air.  How  we  succeeded  in  getting  through  without  a 
scratch  is  a  mystery.  Half  a  minute  later,  and  we 
should  have  been  surrounded.  In  that  event  there 
could  have  been  but  little  possibility  of  escape,  for  the 
Matabeles  were  there  in  overwhelming  numbers ;  in 
fact  they  came  pouring  from  the  bushes  like  ants  from 
a  hill. 

Nevertheless,  had  we  been  cornered,  these  savages 
would  have  met  with  a  surprise,  for  every  man  of  the 
party  was  an  expert  with  revolver  and  repeating  rifle. 
The  Matabeles  were  armed  with  muzzle-loading  guns. 


332  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIEE 

Martini-Henry  rifles,  and  repeating  Winchesters,  and 
one  could  easily  distinguish  the  various  weapons,  both 
by  the  reports  and  by  the  sound  of  the  bullets.  It 
was  galling  to  hear  the  natives  jeering  at  us  as  we  rode 
by,  and  shouting  (in  their  own  language,  of  course) : 
"Why  are  you  running  away,  white  men?  Why 
don't  you  stop  and  fight,  as  brave  men  should  ? "  But 
they  were  two  thousand  to  our  twelve,  and  the  odds 
against  us  were  a  little  too  lieavy. 

When  we  were  clear  of  them  we  stopped  to  return 
their  fire,  but  quickly  discovered  that  another  band 
was  trying  to  cut  us  off  in  front ;  so  we  were  obliged 
to  make  a  gallop  of  three  miles  more  before  we  got 
beyond  the  rocky  bush  country  in  which  the  savages 
were  swarming.  We  returned  to  Gwelo  with  the  re- 
port that  the  Maven  negroes  were  prepared  to  make 
a  savage  fight  against  our  force.  We  had  seen  enough 
of  the  surrounding  country  to  afford  our  commander 
a  good  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  field  on  which  it 
seemed  certain  that  a  hard  battle  would  be  fought. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


MORE  SKIRMISHES  WITH  THE  MATABELES 

An  Exciting  Battle  Expected — The  Column  Laagers  Near  the 
Maven  Stronghold — An  Advance  on  the  Enemy — Bullets 
Fly  Too  Thickly  for  Comfort — A  Novel  Way  of  Taking 
Cover — Flight  of  the  Matabeles— A  Patrol  Finds  Numerous 
Remains  of  Murdered  White  Men — An  Encounter  at  Ma- 
nundwan's — Again  En  Route  for  Bulawayo — Callousness 
of  Savages — The  Langford  Tragedy — At  Bulawayo — A 
Witch-Doctor  Presages  an  Easy  Victory — The  Bullets  did 
not  Turn  to  Water— A  Modest  Adventure — News  of  the 
Mashona  Rising. 

On  the  afternoon  of  May  9th  the  Salisbury  column, 
strengthened  by  a  contingent  of  one  hundred  men  from 
Gwelo,  making  a  total  of  two  hundred  and  fifty,  was 
moving  forward  in  sight  of  the  Maven  stronghold 
over  the  identical  ground  across  which  our  scouts  had 
been  chased  two  days  previously.  Everyone  antici- 
pated an  exciting  pitched  battle  with  the  two  thousand 
eager  warriors  who  had  shown  such  boldness  and  such 
contempt  for  their  adversaries  whenever  a  small  band 
of  ten  or  twenty  white  men  had  appeared  in  their 
neighborhood.  Two  scouts  sent  in  advance  brought 
back  news  that  at  least  a  thousand  of  them  were 
lying  in  the  tall  grass  along  a  ravine  which  crossed 
the  road,  awaiting  our  arrival. 

One  troop  of  horsemen,  accompanied  by  the  scouts, 

333 


334  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

was  immediately  ordered  to  advance.  When  we  came 
within  fifty  yards  of  the  place  where  these  natives 
were  said  to  be  in  ambush,  we  experienced  a  thrilling 
moment,  for  we  knew  not  what  might  be  our  fate  dur- 
ing the  next  few  minutes.  Nevertheless,  our  men  rode 
forward  assuming  an  appearance  of  indifference,  as 
though  they  considered  the  affair  an  every-day  occur- 
rence. But  when  we  reached  the  spot  at  which  we  had 
expected  the  thousand  barbarians  to  jump  up  with 
wild  war-whoops  and  attack  us  with  spears  and  mus- 
kets, we  discovered  that  they  had  stealthily  retreated 
to  better  cover.  It  was  now  our  turn  to  feel  disap- 
pointed because  the  other  fellows  wouldn't  stop  and 
light. 

A  little  later  the  column  arrived,  and  made  laager 
about  one  thousand  yards  from  the  village.  Every 
available  man  was  called  into  service,  and  we  advanced 
on  the  place  in  skirmishing  order.  Our  army  of  two 
hundred  made  an  imposing  front  as  they  went  forward, 
part  on  foot  and  part  on  horseback,  to  attack  the  en- 
emy. A  long  ridge  covered  with  trees  and  rocks  was 
in  front  and  above  us.  On  this  elevation  we  observed 
the  savages  stationing  themselves.  Immediately  to 
the  back  of  them  was  a  thicket  of  heavy  timber  in 
which  there  was  a  good  cover  for  retreat.  We  were 
obliged  to  proceed  in  open  country  across  a  mealie 
field.  When  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  ridge 
we  were  ordered  to  halt.  Much  boisterous  talking 
could  be  heard  among  the  Matabeles,  evidently  on  the 
part  of  their  officers,  who  were  arranging  their  men  in 
position.  After  a  time  they  became  silent,  and  we 
were  in  doubt  as  to  whether  they  were  lying  in  wait 
for  us  or  had  bolted.  Presently  we  heard  a  Matabele 
oflS^cer  shouting  out  to  his  brave  warriors :  "Sella,  sella, 
sella !  Ikona  bilaka ! ' '  Which  meant, ' '  Stay  where  yon 


MORE  SKIRMISHES  WITH  THE  MATABELES  335 

are  !  Don't  run  away  !  "  By  this  we  knew  that  they 
were  still  there. 

The  scouts,  forming  the  right  flank  of  the  line  of 
battle,  were  sitting  on  their  horses,  awaiting  orders, 
when  suddenly  the  Matabeles  opened  fire  on  us.  The 
bullets  flew  so  thickly  that  our  horses  became  fright- 
ened and  swerved  around,  thus  exposing  their  sides  to 
the  aim  of  the  enemy.  The  few  minutes  of  waiting  for 
orders  with  missiles  whizzing  close  around  us  were 
exceedingly  uncomfortable.  If  we  had  been  charging 
or  returning  the  tire  the  feeling  would  have  been  dif- 
ferent. The  natives  were  so  concealed  that  we  could 
see  only  smoke,  and  it  gave  one  a  sort  of  creepy  sen- 
sation to  realize  that  he  was  sitting  there  as  a  target, 
with  the  possibility  of  being  hit  at  any  moment,  and 
with  no  chance  of  retaliation. 

At  such  times  the  desire  to  take  cover  behind  a  tree, 
a  rock,  or  even  a  bush  is  very  strong.  I  can  quite  ap- 
preciate the  nerve  and  discipline  that  must  be  requin  d 
of  men  who  can  stand  their  ground  while  their  com- 
rades are  falling  thickly  around  them.  This  natural 
desire  for  cover  was  displayed  in  a  unique  way  by 
one  of  the  participants  in  the  Matabele  campaign.  He 
carried  in  his  coat-pocket  a  stone  about  the  size 
of  one's  two  fists.  If  he  had  not  the  opportunity 
in  battle  of  taking  cover,  he  sat  on  the  ground,  re- 
moved the  stone  from  his  pocket,  placed  it  in  front  of 
him,  and  proceeded  calmly  to  fire  on  the  opposing 
force.  He  declared  that  the  stone  always  gave  him  a 
feeling  of  security  !  Possibly  it  did  assist  his  imagi- 
nation in  quieting  his  nerves. 

At  last,  after  what  seemed  an  age,  the  order  was 
given  to  advance.  As  very  few  Kafirs  exposed  them- 
selves, we  sent  volley  after  volley  into  the  rifle-smoke 
among  the  trees.    When  the  column  arrived  within  a 


336  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 

hundred  yards  of  the  stony  ridge  the  fusillade  of  the 
Matabeles  ceased,  for  they  had  bolted  into  the  dense 
bush  beyond  at  such  lightning  speed  that  they  touched 
the  ground  only  on  the  highest  points.  Evidently  they 
did  not  believe  in  making  a  determined  stand  with  a 
ratio  of  less  than  sixteen  to  one.  Strange  to  say,  with 
all  the  heavy  firing  on  the  part  of  the  Matabeles,  not 
a  single  man  on  our  side,  and  not  even  a  horse,  was 
wounded  !  On  the  other  hand,  on  account  of  their 
excellent  cover,  I  do  not  think  that  we  inflicted  severe 
damage  upon  the  natives. 

Mr.  Rhodes,  in  company  with  Sir  Charles  Metcalf, 
rode  unarmed  up  and  down  the  line  of  battle  viewing 
the  conflict,  apparently  quite  unconcerned  regarding 
the  bullets  which  were  hailing  about  them.  The  former 
afterward  expressed  himself  as  disliking  the  sound  of 
a  certain  big  elephant  gun  which  could  be  heard  above 
the  general  din  of  battle.  He  highly  complimented 
Colonel  Beal  upon  the  management  of  the  troops  in 
the  attack. 

After  the  savages  had  been  dislodged  the  villages 
were  burnt  and  the  grain  destroyed.  As  it  was  now 
nearly  dark  we  could  not  pursue  the  enemy,  even  if  it 
had  been  deemed  possible  to  overtake  them,  hence  our 
army  retired  to  the  laager.  A  decided  feeling  of  dis- 
appointment and  disgust  was  displayed  on  the  coun- 
tenances of  the  troops.  No  one  had  for  a  moment 
supposed  that  the  encounter  would  end  so  quickly 
and  in  so  complete  a  rout ;  otherwise  a  part  of  the 
force  would  have  been  sent  to  the  rear  to  cut  off  the 
retreat  of  the  enemy,  and  thus  inflict  on  the  cowardly 
curs  the  severe  punishment  which  they  deserved  for 
the  numerous  atrocious  butcheries  that  they  had  com- 
mitted. The  following  day  a  patrol  of  seventy  men 
was  sent  through  the  neighborhood.    We  visited  sev- 


MOEE  SKIRMISHES  WITH  THE  MATABELES  337 

eral  mining  camps  and  found  the  ghastly  remains  of 
many  murdered  white  men  and  friendly  Kafirs.  The 
sights  beheld  were  too  sickening  to  permit  of  descrip- 
tion. No  natives  were  found,  but  innumerable  foot- 
prints of  men,  women,  and  children  were  to  be  seen 
along  paths  crossing  the  road,  indicating  that  during 
the  night  the  people  had  fled  from  the  villages  into 
the  wilderness.  We  burned  a  great  number  of  their 
kraals,  and  destroyed  a  tremendous  amount  of  grain, 
but  this  punishment  was  light  in  comparison  with 
the  magnitude  of  their  crimes. 

While  on  the  return  trip  to  Gwelo  on  the  morning 
of  the  11th,  twenty  men  under  Captain  Henry  Ware, 
accompanied  by  a  few  of  the  Salisbury  scouts,  were 
sent  about  a  mile  off  the  road  to  destroy  a  native  set- 
tlement belonging  to  a  chief  called  Manundwan.  As 
we  approached  the  place  we  perceived  that  the  enemy 
had  gathered  on  a  hill  eight  hundred  yards  from  the 
village.  As  near  as  we  were  able  to  judge,  there  were 
fully  six  hundred  in  the  band — apparently  watching 
the  movements  of  the  column.  They  soon  observed 
that  our  small  party  was  making  for  their  town,  and 
they  immediately  began  running  in  that  direction, 
evidently  with  the  intention  of  heading  us  off  in  the 
bed  of  a  small  river.  A  messenger  was  sent  to  apprise 
the  Colonel  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  and  we 
rode  leisurely  on  toward  the  kraal.  As  the  country 
was  uneven  and  covered  with  patches  of  timber,  we 
soon  lost  sight  of  the  natives. 

We  fired  a  volley  at  the  huts,  and  a  return  fire 
from  a  clump  of  bushes  near  by  gave  evidence  that 
the  Kafirs  had  arrived  before  us,  and  were  lying  in 
wait.  As  reinforcements  had  not  yet  appeared,  so 
that  he  could  make  the  attack.  Captain  Ware  resorted 
to  a  ruse.   Having  been  ordered  to  move  on,  we  left 

22 


338  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 

the  village  as  though  afraid  to  make  an  attack,  and 
took  our  course  toward  the  east.  The  natives  im- 
mediately started  in  pursuit,  and  stealthily  sent  out 
flanking  parties,  intending  to  surround  us.  In  the 
meantime  Colonel  Beal  had  sent  Major  Hoste  with 
a  troop  of  men  to  our  assistance.  They  heard  our 
firing  at  the  village  and  made  straight  in  that  direc- 
tion. As  Captain  Ware  had  anticipated,  the  troop 
galloped  directly  on  to  the  Matabeles,  who  were  ab- 
sorbed in  their  effort  to  entrap  us.  Taken  thus  by 
surprise,  a  panic  ensued  among  the  dusky  ranks,  and 
with  the  martial  order  from  Major  Hoste,  "Get  at 
'em,  boys!"  the  horsemen  charged  straight  among 
them.  Fifty  corpses  were  left  on  the  field.  We 
took  prisoner  one  wounded  native  who  said  that  he 
was  not  rebelling  against  the  whites,  but  had  come 
from  another  village  on  a  visit,  and  had  been  pressed 
into  service  against  his  will ! 

On  May  14th  our  column  left  Gwelo  en  route  for 
Bulawayo.  Near  the  Shangani  River  a  junction  was 
made  with  a  company  of  five  hundred  men  from  Bula- 
wayo under  Colonel  Napier.  The  combined  forces 
entered  on  a  ten  days'  campaign  through  the  hills  of 
the  thickly  populated  Insiza  district.  The  natives 
w^ere  induced  to  come  into  conflict  but  once,  so  that 
little  more  was  accomplished  than  the  destruction  of 
numerous  kraals.  Upon  detecting  our  advance  by  the 
clouds  of  smoke  which  arose  from  the  burning  vil- 
lages and  grain-stacks,  the  savages  fled  from  their 
homes  into  the  hills.  Like  the  cowardly  brutes  they 
are,  they  left  all  the  decrepit  old  women  behind  to  take 
care  of  themselves.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that 
our  Matabele  allies  were  restrained  from  stabbing  these 
unfortunate  beings,  some  of  whom  doubtless  were 
their  own  relatives  and  not  unlikely  even  their  grand- 


MORE  SKIRMISHES  WITH  THE  MATABELES  339 

mothers.  Our  men  always  left  food  and  shelter  for 
such  helpless  creatures. 

At  one  place  we  found  an  old  blind  woman,  all 
alone,  at  a  village  which  was  known  to  have  been 
deserted  for  a  fortnight.  There  was  no  sign  that  any 
living  being  had  returned  in  all  that  time  to  give  help 
to  this  poor  soul  who  was  on  the  verge  of  death  by 
starvation  when  we  found  her.  In  her  hut  were  a  few 
small  sticks  arranged  in  the  ashes  as  though  she  had 
been  endeavoring  to  build  a  fire.  At  night  she  must 
have  suffered  intensely  from  the  cold.  We  gave  her 
food  and  drink,  and  brought  melons  which  we  left 
beside  her,  that  she  might  obtain  water  from  them 
after  our  departure.  It  was  a  pitiful  sight  to  see  her 
giving  thanks  to  her  guardian  spirits  for  sending  suc- 
cor. In  weird  and  tremulous  accents  she  poured  out 
her  rejoicings.  What  consideration  can  a  race  deserve 
who  are  so  cowardly  as  first  to  commit  a  series  of 
treacherous  murders,  and  then  to  abandon  their  own 
aged  mothers  to  perish  from  starvation  and  exposure  ? 

Many  white  farmers  and  miners  had  resided  in  the 
district,  and  our  patrols  were  kept  busy  in  burying 
the  remains  of  men,  women,  and  children  who  had 
fallen  victims  to  the  massacre.  An  account  of  the 
pitiful  tragedies  which  were  enacted  in  that  neighbor- 
hood alone  would  fill  a  volume. 

While  out  scouting  one  morning  near  McKenzie's 
farm  I  came  across  the  remains  of  Dr.  Langford,  Mr. 
Lamon,  and  a  colonial  Kafir.  These  men  had  evidently 
met  death  from  gunshot  wounds,  for  their  skulls  had 
not  been  crushed  by  clubs  and  axes  as  had  been  those 
of  nearly  all  the  bodies  we  had  found  before.  The 
clothing  had  not  been  removed,  but  each  had  his  shirt 
pulled  up  over  his  head.  This  circumstance  I  noted 
in  the  case  of  most  of  the  men  murdered,  and  I  pre- 


340  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

sume  it  was  done  in  the  search  for  waist-belts  contain- 
ing gold.  Dr.  Langford  and  his  wife  had  recently  ar- 
rived in  Matabeleland  from  England,  and,  accompanied 
by  Mr.  Lamon,  were  making  their  way  to  the  Insiza 
district  to  take  up  their  residence  there. 

On  the  day  of  the  outbreak  those  who  had  first 
heard  of  the  rising  had  endeavored  to  send  messengers 
through  the  neighborhood  apprising  the  people  of  the 
danger,  and  proposing  that  they  gather  for  defence  at 
E-ixon' s  farm,  two  miles  from  where  these  bodies  were 
found.  It  is  believed  that  Dr.  Langford' s  party  had 
been  warned  by  the  colonial  boy,  and  were  on  their 
way  to  Eixon's  when  attacked.  The  body  of  Mrs. 
Langford  was  found  near  the  farm  ;  and  it  is  presumed 
that  while  Langford  and  Lamon  had  attempted  to  hold 
the  savages  in  check,  Mrs.  Langford  had  run  to  the 
farm  for  help.  Unfortunately  the  settlers  had  been 
unable  to  congregate  there  as  planned,  and  she  found 
the  place  deserted. 

We  discovered  her  body  near  Rixon's  homestead, 
under  the  bank  of  the  river  where  she  had  been  hid- 
ing. She  had  formed  a  sort  of  bed  with  a  few  blades 
of  grass  on  the  hard  stones  of  the  river-bed,  near  a 
pool  of  water.  Apparently  she  had  lived  some  days 
after  the  murder  of  the  other  members  of  the  party, 
and  an  enamelled  dish  lying  near  her  indicated  that 
she  had  gone  to  the  house,  probably  at  night,  in  search 
of  food.  The  fact  that  her  skull  had  been  crushed  to 
splinters,  and  tliat  several  large  stones  were  lying  on 
her  body,  left  unmistakable  evidence  that  the  fiendish 
savages  had  at  last  wreaked  vengeance  upon  her  by 
stoning  her  to  death. 

People  far  removed  from  such  scenes  of  violence  are 
apt  so  to  overflow  with  sympathy  for  the  benighted 
savages  against  whom  war  is  waged,  as  to  drown  all 


MOEE  SKIRMISHES  WITH  THE  MATABELES  341 

thought  of  those  of  their  own  blood  who  have  fallen 
victims  to  the  atrocities  of  the  "innocent  aborigines." 
As  I  stood  that  morning  viewing  the  mutilated  remains 
of  that  refined  young  woman,  who  had  but  recently 
left  her  home  in  England  a  happy  bride,  and  thought 
of  the  intense  bodily  suffering  and  the  awful  anguish 
of  mind  to  which  she  had  been  subjected  as  she  lay 
in  that  lonely  wilderness  through  the  long,  cold, 
dreary  nights,  hoping  against  hope  for  succor,  or 
praying  for  death  to  end  her  misery,  it  seemed  to 
me  that  not  even  a  saint  could  suppress  intense  feel- 
ings of  vengeance  against  the  cowardly  race  whose 
calloused  sensibilities,  low  intelligence,  and  animal 
instincts  place  them  but  slightly  above  the  brute  cre- 
ation. 

On  May  27th  Colonel  Napier's  column,  with  several 
hundred  captured  cattle,  returned  to  Bulawayo,  while 
the  Salisbury  column,  with  one  troop  of  Gifford's 
Horse,  made  a  flying  trip  through  the  Filabusi  dis- 
trict, destroying  more  kraals  and  endeavoring  to  meet 
in  conflict  the  savages  who  were  fleeing  toward  the 
Matoppo  hills.  Finally,  on  June  5th,  we  laagered  five 
miles  from  Bulawayo.  I  was  much  disappointed  at 
the  appearance  of  the  surrounding  country,  for  instead 
of  being  an  open  prairie  as  I  had  anticipated,  the  land 
was  covered  with  short,  scrubby  thorn-bushes.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  was  greatly  surprised  at  the  size  of  the 
town  of  Bulawayo,  the  excellent  character  of  its  brick 
buildings,  and  the  wonderful  general  advance  which 
had  been  made  in  two  years'  time  in  this  locality,  so 
far  removed  in  the  wilderness. 

The  inhabitants  had  experienced  an  anxious  period 
during  the  early  part  of  the  rebellion,  as  large  bodies 
of  Matabeles  had  been  encamped  almost  continuously 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  town.    Two  laagers  had  been 


342  O^'  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

formed,  to  which  the  citizens  had  retired  nightly,  being 
constantly  in  danger  of  an  attack.  At  the  time  of  our 
visit  forces  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Plumer  had 
arrived  from  the  Cape  Colony,  and  as  Major-Gfeneral 
Sir  Frederick  Carrington  had  taken  command  of  all 
the  troops  in  the  field,  there  was  a  feeling  of  great 
relief  on  the  part  of  the  citizens,  who  w^ere  now  occu- 
pying their  residences. 

A  few  weeks  earlier  the  savages  had  raised  the  siege 
of  Bulawayo,  as  forces  sent  to  the  various  districts 
had  rendered  their  services  necessary  nearer  their 
homes  ;  but  upon  the  evening  of  June  5th  an  impi  of 
two  thousand  picked  men,  chosen  from  seven  regi- 
ments, again  encamped  six  miles  from  Bulaw^ayo  on 
their  old  ground,  just  across  the  Umgusa  E-iver.  The 
witch-doctor  who  administered  medicine  on  this  occa- 
sion had  presaged  an  easy  victory.  He  had  promised 
that  when  the  whites  should  cross  the  Umgusa  he 
would  strike  them  blind  by  magic,  and  turn  their  bul- 
lets to  w^ater,  thus  leaving  to  the  warriors  the  easy 
task  of  stabbing  their  adversaries  at  their  leisure  ! 
But,  alas !  a  greater  surprise  was  in  store  for  these 
simple-minded  savages  than  they  had  planned  for 
their  antagonists ! 

At  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  June  6th  two 
hundred  men  from  Bulawayo  under  Colonel  Spreck- 
ley,  joined  hy  fifty  men  from  the  Salisbury  column 
under  Colonel  Beal,  were  galloping  over  the  plain  di- 
rectly toward  the  impi.  When  the  Matabeles  discov- 
ered that  the  bullets  were  not  turning  to  w^ater  as 
prearranged,  their  ranks  were  struck  with  consterna- 
tion b}^  the  sudden  realization  of  the  fact  that  they 
had  been  duped,  and  they  turned  and  fled,  closely 
pursued  by  the  volunteers.  Two  hundred  ebony 
carcasses  w^ere  left  lifeless  on  the  field,  and  subse- 


MORE  SKIEMISHES  WITH  THE  MATABELES  343 

quently  it  was  learned  that  scores  of  wounded  died 
after  the  battle.  The  losses  on  our  side  were  insignif- 
icant. This  is  said  to  be  the  severest  blow  inflicted 
upon  the  Matabeles  during  the  entire  campaign,  and 
it  further  demonstrates  the  fact  that  a  band  of  savages 
cannot  withstand  a  charge  of  horsemen,  even  though 
the  latter  be  far  inferior  in  numbers.  This  is  not 
surprising,  for  it  is  no  easy  matter  even  for  trained 
European  infantry  to  hold  their  ground  against  cav- 
alry. 

That  afternoon  the  Salisbury  column  laagered  on 
the  Umgusa  E-iver  near  the  site  of  the  battle.  Toward 
evening,  in  company  with  two  young  men  named 
Neumeyer  and  Cressy,  I  visited  the  battle-ground. 
We  first  examined  the  skerms,  consisting  of  long, 
straight  bush-fences,  along  which  the  warriors  had 
slept  the  night  before.  On  the  side  facing  Bulawayo 
had  been  laid  grass  for  beds,  and  near  the  edges  of 
the  bushes  were  little  chunks  of  wood  for  pillows. 
Upon  counting  these  we  estimated  that  no  less  than 
two  thousand  warriors  had  slept  there.  At  their  feet 
had  been  a  row  of  fires,  the  embers  of  which  were 
still  smouldering.  In  their  hasty  flight  the  savages 
had  left  quantities  of  meat  lying  on  the  ground. 
'  Breakfast  had  been  in  process  of  cooking,  and  in  the 
'  pots  which  were  still  on  the  fires  were  Kafir  corn, 
pumpkins,  and  meat. 

Following  the  spoor  through  a  belt  of  low  thorn- 
bushes  in  the  direction  in  which  the  enemy  had  fied, 
we  came  to  a  place  where  many  of  the  natives  had 
dropped  their  belongings,  such  as  calabashes  filled 
with  various  kinds  of  trinkets,  blankets,  and  other 
articles  which  had  been  thrown  away  in  order  that 
they  might  be  the  better  able  to  run.  Not  a  few  had 
hastily  attempted  to  hide  their  possessions  in  ant-bear 


344  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

holes  and  in  small  thickets.  Our  excursion  was  sud- 
denly brought  to  a  close  by  our  coming  face  to  face  in 
the  dense  bush  with  a  band  of  twelve  or  more  Mata- 
beles,  who,  armed  with  shields  and  assegais,  were 
stealing  along  in  a  crouching  attitude,  apparently 
making  their  way  to  their  camp.  They  were  proba- 
bly new  arrivals,  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  a  battle  had 
taken  place  that  morning.  We  fired  a  volley  at  them, 
and  ran  as  fast  as  our  legs  would  carry  us  until  we 
were  clear  of  the  bush.  Then  we  were  much  amused 
at  ourselves  for  getting  such  a  fright,  for  presently  we 
saw  the  Matabeles  dashing  across  an  open  space  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away.  Evidently  they  had  been  as 
much  surprised  as  we  were. 

About  June  20th  news  came  that  the  natives  of 
Mashonaland  had  rebelled  and  were  massacring  the 
white  inhabitants.  This  fell  upon  us  like  a  thunder- 
bolt, for  no  one  had  ever  dreamed  that  the  Mashonas, 
like  the  Matabeles,  were  capable  of  rising  and  com- 
mitting horrible  atrocities.  Within  a  few  days  after 
the  arrival  of  this  serious  information,  our  column  was 
making  a  forced  march  for  Salisbury. 

The  limited  amount  of  fighting  that  I  had  seen  up 
to  this  date  had  inspired  me  with  absolute  contempt 
for  the  Matabeles  as  soldiers.  Our  small  band  had 
travelled  through  many  miles  of  thickly  settled,  rug- 
ged, and  disadvantageous  country ;  but  wherever  we 
had  moved,  the  cowardly  barbarians  had  fled  as  from 
the  invasion  of  an  all-powerful  army.  It  was  subse- 
quently learned  that  the  Matabeles  were  in  dread  of 
our  column  because  it  had  come  from  Mashonaland. 
They  argued  that  as  we  had  entered  the  country  from 
the  east  we  were  the  same  band  of  bold,  determined 
men  who,  in  defiance  of  their  threats,  had  gone  into 
Mashonaland  in  1890,  and  who,  in  1893,  had  beaten 


MOEE  SKIRMISHES  WITH  THE  MATABELES  345 

them  in  the  battles  of  the  Shangani  and  the  Bembesi. 
When  some  months  later,  however,  the  Matabeles  were 
brought  to  bay  at  Tabas  Imamba  and  the  Matoppo 
Hills,  hard  fighting  ensued,  in  which  many  brave  white 
men  lost  their  lives  in  the  effort  to  force  them  to 
treat  for  peace. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


THE  MASHONA  RISING 

Maven  Kafirs  Execute  a  Counter-Move — An  Erroneous  As- 
sumption— The  Mashona  View  of  White  Occupation — 
First  Signs  of  Rebellion — Character  of  the  Blow — Dar- 
ling's Account  of  the  Escape  from  Mazoe. 

The  Maven  Kafirs,  too  cowardly  to  meet  us  in  fair 
battle  when  we  visited  their  stronghold  in  May,  had, 
after  our  departure,  executed  a  counter-move  which 
worked  well  toward  the  end  that  they  wished  to  accom- 
plish. When  our  column  marched  in  the  direction  of 
Bui  away  o,  a  band  of  Matabele  marauders  proceeded 
toward  Mashonaland.  They  sent  emissaries  in  advance 
to  various  Mashona  chiefs,  informing  the  latter  that  all 
the  vrhite  people  in  Matabeleland  had  been  butchered, 
and  that  they  (the  Maven  warriors)  had  personally 
met  in  battle,  conquered,  and  annihilated  to  the  last 
man  the  white  army  which  had  but  recently  left  Ma- 
shonaland. 

In  consideration,  therefore,  of  these  striking  suc- 
cesses on  the  part  of  the  Matabele  army  in  all  their 
encounters  with  their  white  foes,  they  were  now  com- 
ing to  complete  the  work  of  clearing  the  country  of 
objectionable  foreigners  by  exterminating  the  few  white 
dogs— male,  female,  and  piccaninnies— left  in  Ma- 
shonaland. This  invasion,  they  stated,  was  in  no  way 
meant  as  a  menace  to  the  peace  and  happiness  of  their 

346 


THE  MASHONA  RISING 


347 


former  friends,  the  Mashonas,  and  if  the  latter  would 
join  them  in  their  efforts,  besides  sharing  the  enor- 
mous plunder  which  was  to  be  obtained  from  the 
white  inhabitants,  they  would  promise  by  all  the 
sacred  sorcery  of  the  black  man's  attendant  spirits 
that  thereafter  the  Mashonas  should  in  no  way  be 
molested  as  they  had  been  in  the  days  of  Mosilikatse 
and  Lo  Bengula.  On  the  contrary,  the  two  nations 
would  in  future  live  together  on  harmonious  and  equal 
terms !  But  whether  or  not  the  assistance  of  the 
Mashona  nation  here  offered,  the  Matabeles  were  now 
coming  to  remove  from  Lo  Bengula' s  former  territorial 
possessions  those  contemptible  intruders  of  white  com- 
plexion who,  if  they  remained  in  Mashonaland,  must 
ever  be  a  menace  to  the  security  of  the  government  of 
Matabeleland,  as  well  as  to  the  undisturbed  intercourse 
with  neighboring  tribes.  Bearing  in  mind  the  glori- 
ous military  achievements  of  Lo  Bengula' s  people  in 
days  gone  by,  the  only  wise  course  which  the  Mashona 
tribes  could  possibly  pursue  would  be  to  give  to  the 
former  their  hearty  co-operation. 

The  assumption  on  the  part  of  the  white  inhabitants 
of  Mashonaland  that  the  natives  were  their  stanch 
friends  and  allies  was  based  entirely  upon  the  view 
taken  from  the  stand-point  of  civilization,  not  from  that 
of  savagery.  The  white  men  believed  that  the  Mashonas 
could  not  be  otherwise  than  grateful  to  them  for  their 
emancipation  from  Lo  Bengula' s  thraldom,  with  all 
its  attendant  woes.  In  adopting  this  premise  some 
traits  of  savage  nature  had  been  overlooked.  The 
regime  of  Lo  Bengula  had  been  so  long  an  established 
reality  that  the  overthrow  of  his  power  in  the  war 
of  1893  met  with  disappointment  and  even  regret  on 
the  part  of  the  Mashonas,  who  felt  really  grieved  at 
the  sudden  discontinuance  of  a  time-honored  state  of 


348  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


affairs.  The  non-appearance  of  Lo  Bengula' s  raiders 
within  their  borders  seemed  to  them  incongruous. 

Their  tranquillity  was  now  disturbed  by  a  race  whose 
customs  were  entirely  at  variance  with  theirs.  The 
laws  established  by  these  new-comers  were  decided- 
ly distasteful.  "It  is  true,"  they  argued,  "that  the 
Matabeles  came  on  periodical  raids,  but  we  could  run 
away  and  hide  in  the  rocks  ;  and  although  they  car- 
ried away  our  wives  and  children  and  cattle,  they 
left  us  for  long  periods  at  peace.  In  turn,  we  could 
plunder  from  our  weaker  neighbors  other  wives  to  till 
our  lands  for  us,  and  then  we  could  lie  once  more  on 
the  rocks,  and  bask  in  the  balmy  rays  of  the  sun,  and 
sleep,  and  take  our  ease.  But  these  white  baases  are 
among  us  continually  ;  they  seem  never  satisfied  to 
rest  as  rational  beings  should,  but  are  always  on 
the  move.  They  are  ever  asking  us  to  dig  in  their 
munda  (fields),  work  in  their  magodi  (mines),  help 
build  their  houses,  and  herd  their  cattle.  From  one 
year's  end  to  another  they  do  nothing  but  work,  work, 
work !  What  more  irksome  and  degrading  occupa- 
tion was  ever  instituted  than  work  ! 

"  We  believed  when  they  came  that  they  would  short- 
ly return  to  Diamond,  but  unfortunately  our  judgment 
was  in  error,  and  it  is  now  evident  that  we  shall  be 
obliged  to  shift  them  ourselves.  Look  at  the  amount 
of  loot  we  can  obtain  !  What  loads  of  blankets  and 
guns,  and  '  sugare '  and  munyu  (salt)  we  shall  have  ! 
How  grand  to  be  able  once  more  to  roam  over  our 
beautiful  prairies  in  search  of  rats  and  antelopes,  un- 
molested by  the  meddlesome  makewa  (white  men) ! 

"What  unreasonable  beings  these  contemptible 
makewa  are,  anyway  !  If  our  wives  bear  twin  picca- 
ninnies and  our  grandmothers  kill  them,  what  do  the 
makewa  do?   They  put  our  grandmothers  into  the 


THE  MASHONA  KISING 


349 


tronko  (jail) ;  and  think  of  the  many  similar  customs 
for  which  they  unjustly  punish  us !  Furthermore, 
they  wander  like  mad  men  over  the  country  in  their 
search  for  darama  (gold),  and  thus  drive  away  the 
game.  They  plough  the  meadows  and  make  grain- 
fields  of  them,  and  destroy  in  this  wise  the  breeding- 
places  of  our  greatest  delicacies,  the  field-rats  and 
the  gophers.  Their  humba  (pigs)  wander  through  the 
beautiful  forests  and  devour  our  favorite  fruits, 
the  mahobohobo,  the  mchange,  and  the  uti.  In  the 
thickets  they  root  up  our  zinza  (wild  artichokes),  thus 
desecrating  the  land  of  our  forefathers.  Behold  the 
awful  evils  these  white  wizards  have  brought  with 
them  !  Before  their  appearance  the  weza  (locust)  was 
unknown,  but  now  these  pests  are  devastating  our 
fields  and  threatening  us  with  starvation.  Not  satis- 
fied with  this,  the  fiends  have  conjured  up  diseases 
which  are  sweeping  away  our  cattle.  Oh,  we  must 
rise  in  our  might  and,  with  one  stroke,  rid  ourselves 
forever  of  these  our  enemies,  and  reinstate  the  peace 
and  joy  of  days  primeval !  " 

Fear  of  the  Matabeles  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  factors 
which  influenced  the  Mashonas  to  rebel  against  the 
whites.  The  opportunity  of  obtaining  immense  quan- 
tities of  plunder  was  without  doubt  the  greatest  in- 
ducement, and  we  cannot  deny  the  fact  that  added  to 
these  causes  was  the  antipathy  which  the  Mashonas 
bore  toward  the  white  people  who  had  settled  among 
them,  an  antipathy  which  is  as  inevitably  certain 
to  arise  between  a  primitive  tribe  and  a  race  of  su- 
perior intelligence  who  take  possession  of  their  coun- 
try and  assume  the  mastery,  annulling  many  of  their 
superstitions  and  barbarous  customs,  as  it  is  certain 
that  the  sun  will  rise  and  set — an  antipathy  which 
must  sooner  or  later  result  in  a  trial  of  strength  at 


350  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FEONTIER 

arms.  The  Mashona  nation  was  not  wanting  in  men 
of  ambition  who  were  ready  to  float  with  the  tide  of 
popular  sentiment  to  greatness  and  renown.  A  wizard 
quickly  arose  in  the  person  of  Kagubi,  upon  whom  the 
blame  is  now  laid  by  his  countrymen  of  having  insti- 
gated the  rebellion. 

Although  this  rising  must  have  been  contemplated 
for  some  weeks,  if  not  months,  prior  to  the  actual  oc- 
currence of  hostilities,  the  secret  was  so  well  kept  that 
no  suspicion  was  in  any  way  aroused  among  the  whites 
as  to  what  was  likely  to  happen.  Shortly  before  the 
outbreak,  bands  of  Matabeles  were  reported  as  having 
been  seen  in  the  neighborhood  of  some  of  the  mining 
camps  in  the  direction  of  the  Umsweswi  River,  but 
of  this  circumstance  no  particular  notice  was  taken. 
Even  the  news  of  the  first  murders  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Umfuli  caused  no  great  alarm,  as  they  were 
supposed  to  be  the  result  of  some  local  trouble,  and 
fraught  with  no  far-reaching  significance.  JSTot  until 
the  murder  of  the  Nortons  at  their  farm,  eighteen 
miles  from  Salisbury,  did  the  possible  magnitude  of 
this  rising  really  impress  itself  upon  the  authorities. 
The  Matabeles  assisted  the  Mashonas  in  the  first  mas- 
sacres at  Hartley  and  the  Mazoe,  simply  by  way  of 
setting  the  ball  rolling,  and  of  showing  them  how  the 
thing  had  been  performed  in  Matabeleland. 

The  news  that  the  rebellion  had  begun,  spread  like 
wildfire  among  the  native  population,  and  within  three 
days  almost  the  entire  Mashona  nation  were  up  in 
arms,  ruthlessly  slaughtering  the  settlers.  The  vast 
expanse  of  territory  over  which  the  white  inhabitants 
were  scattered,  and  the  sudden  and  unexpected  char- 
acter of  the  blow,  rendered  insurmountable  the  diffi- 
culty of  warning  all  the  farmers,  prospectors,  and 
miners.    More  than  one  hundred  men,  women,  and 


THE  MASHONA  RISING 


351 


children  fell  victims  within  the  first  few  days  of  the 
rebellion,  as  well  as  several  hundred  friendly  Kafirs 
in  the  employ  of  the  whites.  The  people  of  Salisbury, 
fearing  that  the  savages  might  attack  the  town, 
promptly  went  into  laager  at  the  jail,  which  had  pre- 
viously been  fortified.  Volunteer  corps  were  quickly 
formed,  every  able-bodied  man  in  the  community  en- 
tering upon  military  duty. 

An  account  of  the  thrilling  tragedies  which  took 
place  within  the  first  week  of  that  terrible  time,  and 
of  the  heroic  efforts  toward  escape  and  rescue,  would 
fill  volumes.  In  order  to  give  the  reader  some  idea  of 
what  the  settlers  experienced  in  attempting  to  save 
themselves  and  their  friends  from  the  treacherous  sav- 
ages, I  will  quote  from  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  J. 
ffolliott  Darling  to  his  father  in  Clonakilty,  Ireland, 
describing  the  escape  of  his  party  from  Mazoe  : 

"To  begin  at  the  beginning,  on  Wednesday  (June 
17,  1896)  I  went  over  to  put  up  boards  on  my  mining 
claims,  and  got  back  rather  tired  at  about  three  o'clock. 
I  had  just  taken  a  bite  of  food,  when  a  note  arrived 
from  a  man  named  Fairburn,  to  say  that  news  had 
been  received  from  Salisbury  announcing  that  the  na- 
tives were  committing  outrages  on  whites  under  the 
instigation  of  wandering  Matabeles.  He  stated  fur- 
ther that  the  whites  in  our  neighborhood  were  going 
to  the  Alice  mine  for  defence.  I  was  undecided 
whether  to  go  or  not,  as  I  thought  it  probably  a  false 
alarm  ;  but  upon  learning  from  two  men  camped  near 
me  that  Dickinson  and  Cass  had  gone  to  fetch  their 
wives,  I  concluded  the  affair  must  be  serious,  and 
made  up  my  mind  to  go. 

''At  the  Alice  mine  I  found  ten  white  men  and  three 
women.  We  did  guard  around  the  camp  all  night,  but 
saw  no  niggers.  In  the  morning  we  decided  that  it  was 


352  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIEK 


a  case  of  either  going  to  Salisbury  or  camping  where 
we  were,  and  the  party  made  up  their  minds  to  the 
former.  A  spring  wagon  with  six  mules  soon  arrived 
from  town,  having  been  sent  by  the  Administrator  to 
take  in  the  women.  After  breakfast,  in  company  with 
Zimmerman  and  Blakiston,  I  walked  over  to  the  tele- 
graph office,  about  a  mile  from  the  Alice  mine,  and 
wired  to  Salisbury  that  we  intended  going  to  town  un- 
less the  authorities  assured  us  that  there  was  no  dan- 
ger. The  reply  came  later  that  if  we  stuck  together 
we  would  be  safe  where  we  were.  However,  when  we 
got  back  to  the  mine,  we  found  that  several  of  the 
men  had  already  started  for  town — Pascoe  and  some 
boys  on  foot  in  advance  of  the  others,  Dickinson  and 
Cass  together,  also  on  foot,  and  then  Fairburn,  Stod- 
dart,  and  Faule  in  a  donkey-cart. 

''It  appears  that  Pascoe  got  on  safely  till  he  had 
passed  my  camp.  Just  there,  as  Dickinson  and  Cass 
were  going  along  quite  unsuspiciously,  they  were  killed 
by  niggers  who  were  lying  in  ambush  alongside  the 
road.  Pascoe' s  attention  having  been  attracted,  he 
looked  back  and  saw  some  niggers  hacking  at  some- 
thing on  the  road,  so  he  sent  one  of  his  boys  to  see 
what  was  going  on.  The  latter  quickly  returned,  say- 
ing that  the  two  white  men  had  been  killed  ;  so  Pascoe 
dodged  off  to  one  side  and  worked  back  through  the 
timber.  Presently  the  donkey-cart  came  along  and  a 
volley  was  discharged  into  it  from  the  same  place. 
Faule  said  to  Fairburn:  'Take  the  reins,  Pm  shot,' 
and  he  sank  in  the  cart  dead.  Fairburn  hastily 
whipped  the  asses  round  and  drove  back.  One  donkey 
had  been  wounded,  but  it  ran  for  half  a  mile  before  it 
fell.  The  two  men  were  then  obliged  to  desert  the 
cart  and  the  dead  man,  and  run  for  their  lives  ;  they 
met  Pascoe  on  the  road  and  all  came  back  full  pelt 


THE  MASHONA  RISING 


353 


with  a  mixed  crowd  of  Matabeles  and  Mashonas  after 
them. 

''In  the  meantime  we  had  got  the  women  into  the 
mule-wagon,  and  away  they  had  gone  laughing  and 
joking.  Blakiston  had  given  up  his  seat  to  a  man 
named  Burton,  as  the  latter  was  unwell ;  so  he,  Spreck- 
ley,  and  I  followed  on  foot.  We  had  gone  down  the 
road  about  half  a  mile  when  we  heard  a  few  shots 
around  the  corner  in  the  direction  the  party  had  gone, 
and  presently  we  saw  the  coach  returning  full  gallop. 
They  shouted  something  which  I  didn't  catch,  and 
Blakiston  ran  toward  the  bush.  I  thought  they  had 
wounded  an  antelope,  and  ran  up  to  cut  it  off,  but  the 
people  on  the  coach  shouted :  '  Come  back,  come  back ! ' 
Then  I  made  for  the  wagon,  which  was  going  at  full 
speed,  a  man  running  on  each  side,  thrashing  the  mules. 
On  the  coach  were  the  three  men  who  had  escaped  from 
the  affair  with  the  donkey-cart.  Pascoe,  who  was  on 
top  (it  was  a  covered  vehicle),  was  keeping  a  lookout, 
while  Stoddart  was  sitting  at  the  back,  just  about  ex- 
hausted. The  latter  told  me  what  had  happened.  It 
was  as  much  as  I  could  do  to  keep  up  until  we  got  to 
the  Alice  camp.  We  saw  the  enemy  turn  the  corner, 
so  we  hurried  the  women  to  the  makeshift  laager. 
Two  of  them,  Mrs.  Cass  and  Mrs.  Dickinson,  who  had 
started  so  jolly  an  hour  before,  were  now  widows. 
As  Mrs.  Cass  is  a  good  shot  and  a  big  strong  woman, 
I  gave  her  my  shot-gun — the  only  spare  gun  left,  as 
all  the  others  had  been  stolen  or  had  been  lost  with 
the  murdered  men — and  said ;  '  Now  this  is  loaded 
with  AAA.  If  they  make  a  rush  on  the  laager,  fire  it 
to  them  in  the  face.'  She  said  she  would,  but  after  a 
while  she  brought  it  back,  and  said  she  couldn't. 

''The  savages  were  now  approaching  leisurely,  in 
open  order,  about  one  thousand  yards  from  us.  Pas- 

23 


364 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIEE 


coe  and  I  got  on  the  highest  rock,  and  then  he  said : 
'Fire  a  couple  of  shots  to  alarm  Salthouse  at  the 
telegraph  office.'  I  fired  two  shots  which  landed  in 
the  enemy's  midst,  and  they  turned  and  scuttled  into 
the  bush.  I  then  inquired  if  anyone  had  gone  to  the 
telegraph  office  to  send  word  to  Salisbury  for  help ;  but 
as  no  one  had.  we  induced  a  tottie  boy  (colored  man), 
by  offering  him  £5,  to  take  a  message  down.  He  soon 
returned  with  Routledge,  the  telegraph  clerk,  who 
had  not  sent  the  message  because  he  had  already  left 
the  office  when  he  met  the  boy.  We  asked  him  to  go 
back  with  it,  but  he  refused. 

"  Just  then  Salthouse  arrived  on  horseback,  and  we 
told  Routledge  he  must  take  the  horse  and  go  with 
the  message  ;  but  he  said  he  could  not  ride,  and  would 
not  go  without  an  escort.  We  told  him  it  was  ridicu- 
lous to  talk  of  an  escort  when  there  were  only  seven 
men  to  look  after  the  women,  and  that  if  he  hurried 
he  could  get  along  all  right,  as  there  were  still  no 
niggers  on  that  side.  After  some  delay  Blakiston 
said  to  Routledge  :  '  Will  you  go,  if  I  go  with  you  ? ' 
He  said  he  would  ;  so  off  they  started.  All  this  time 
the  savages  were  coming  on,  and  we  were  keeping  up 
J  a  vigorous  fire  on  them.  At  first  they  advanced  quite 
confidently,  but  we  soon  put  a  stop  to  that ;  the  first 
man  shot  I  bowled  over,  as  he  was  running  across  an 
open  glade,  at  six  hundred  yards.  Three  or  four  ran 
out  to  carry  him  in ;  then  I  let  rip  at  them  and 
another  fell,  probably  from  fright.  I  fired  another 
shot,  and  he  dropped  again.  In  fact  it  was  very  hard 
to  tell  when  we  had  killed  one  of  them,  for  they 
dropped  into  the  long  grass  whenever  a  bullet  passed 
close  to  them.  Salthouse  knocked  another  fellow 
kicking,  at  five  hundred  yards,  on  the  mountain-side, 
was  guarding  on  my  right,  and  was  too  busy  to 


THE  MASHONA  RISING 


355 


look  around,  when  Mrs.  Cass  said :  '  There  they 
come  from  the  telegraph  office,  one  on  horseback  and 
one  on  foot.'  In  the  meantime  some  niggers  had 
gone  over  to  the  store  which  lay  in  the  path  to  the 
telegraph  office,  and  presently  Mrs.  Cass  said  :  '  Oh, 
they  are  firing  on  them — the  horse  is  shot — he  is  down 
— no,  he's  not,  he's  up  again — the  man  is  shot; 
they're  down — no,  the  man  is  up,  he's  running, 
he's  running  hard.  Oh,  he's  down,  he's  dead,  he's 
dead  ! '  All  this  time  I  could  not  turn  my  head,  but 
was  banging  away  on  my  right.  I  asked  about  the 
other  man.  *  He's  running  toward  the  bush,'  she  re- 
plied, ^  and  they  are  firing  at  him.'  He  disappeared 
and  some  more  shots  were  heard,  and  we  knew  that 
he  was  killed.  We  were  awfully  sorry  for  them, 
especially  Blakiston,  who  had  willingly  risked  his 
life  to  save  the  rest  of  us. 

Before  this,  a  nigger  had  found  a  nice  rock  on  the 
hill  about  five  hundred  yards  from  us,  and  had  opened 
fire  from  it.  We  could  see  only  his  head  when  he  was 
shooting,  and  sometimes  not  even  that.  As  this  fel- 
low nearly  hit  me  twice,  I  got  off  my  rock  and  stood 
behind  another  which  covered  me  from  him,  but  left 
me  unprotected  in  front.  I  suddenly  felt  a  bang  on 
the  elbow,  and  looking  down  I  noticed  that  my  arm 
was  bloody  and  my  shirt  torn.  I  thought,  'I  can't 
be  shot  in  the  elbow  or  it  would  have  hurt  a  great  deal 
more,'  and  then  I  saw  what  had  happened ;  the  bul- 
let had  struck  the  rock  about  a  foot  off,  and  the 
splinters  from  the  rock  and  the  lead  had  hit  me.  I 
got  a  nasty  gash,  and  it  became  a  bit  stiff  and  sore, 
but  it  was  better  the  next  day. 

As  we  seemed  to  be  in  an  exposed  corner,  I  told 
the  three  women  to  get  farther  down  under  the  rock. 
They  behaved  very  well,  and  kept  our  bandoliers  filled 


356  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

with  cartridges  as  we  required  them.  After  a  bit  a  big 
bullet  came  whizziug  through,  touched  the  rock,  and 
grazed  us  all.  Soon  afterward,  another  hit  a  branch 
just  in  front  of  me.  They  had  me  marked,  as  my  hat 
was  rather  light  in  color  and  easy  to  see.  Later,  I 
put  some  blue  cloth  over  it,  and  then  it  was  not  so 
noticeable.  There  were  seven  of  us  firing,  and  we  were 
put  to  the  pin  of  our  collar  to  keep  the  beasts  away. 
Pascoe  was  doing  good  work  on  a  rock  close  by  me, 
and  Salthouse,  Fairburn,  Zimmerman,  Stoddart,  Bur- 
ton, and  Spreckley  were  all  firing  from  other  sides  of 
the  laager. 

"As  the  afternoon  wore  away,  three  natives  got 
into  a  patch  of  thick  bush  and  long  grass  within  one 
hundred  yards  of  our  position,  and  one  of  them  crept 
into  a  hut  near  us.  As  a  rule,  we  could  fire  only  at 
the  puffs  of  smoke.  One  fellow  who  had  a  Lee-Met- 
ford  rifle  smashed  the  rock  just  at  my  front  in  line 
with  my  face,  and  knocked  splinters  over  me.  We 
dropped  a  few  of  them,  but  it  was  hard  to  say  how 
many.  As  night  came  on,  the  fire  slackened  and 
finally  died  out,  with  the  exception  of  an  occasional 
shot.  After  dark  we  induced  a  Cape  boy  of  Salt- 
house's  to  go  down  and  set  fire  to  the  hut  the  savage 
had  been  firing  from.  The  boy  brought  back  with 
him  some  biscuits  and  water. 

"That  night  was  like  one  long  nightmare.  I  sat  at 
the  top  of  the  onl}^  entrance  to  our  laager,  and  stared 
down  till  I  thought  the  eyes  would  drop  out  of  my 
head  I  could  scarcely  keep  them  open,  being  terribly 
sleepy  after  the  previous  night's  vigil  and  the  day's 
anxieties.  Of  course,  we  expected  a  rush  in  the 
night,  for  the  natives  knew  very  well  how  few  we 
were,  but  I  think  we  had  scared  them  a  bit  during  the 
afternoon.     1  could  hear  them  talking  in  the  bush 


THE  MASHONA  EISING 


357 


under  me  and  moving  about ;  and  every  shadow  and 
sound  was  magnified  by  my  excited  nerves  into  sav- 
ages approactiing. 

'*They  were  confident  that  tliey  had  us  in  a  trap. 
After  they  had  had  their  grub  their  general  shouted 
out  of  the  bush  about  eight  hundred  yards  away,  where 
his  camp  was  situated,  ordering  detachments  to  watch 
all  the  roads  around  us  so  that  we  could  not  escape 
during  the  night.  Several  times  he  came  out  and 
roared  one  order  or  another  across  the  valley  to  men 
stationed  on  the  other  side.  One  sentry  behind  a  rock 
close  above  us  stayed  there  all  night,  where  he  had  a 
fire  and  something  to  eat.  He  called  out  once  asking 
indignantly  why  they  (the  Mashonas)  had  left  him,  a 
Matabele,  without  tobacco,  and  ordered  them  to  send 
some  up  at  once.  About  midnight  the  moon  went 
down,  and  a  little  later  we  got  the  boy  to  go  down 
again  and  set  fire  to  another  hut,  which  burned  for 
a  good  while.  At  the  gray  dawn  I  felt  certain  they 
would  come,  but  no.  You  may  imagine  it  was  a  great 
relief  to  see  daylight.  We  had  expected  a  patrol 
to  arrive  during  the  night  or  early  in  the  morning, 
but  were  not  sure  that  the  telegram  had  really  gone. 

*'In  the  morning  the  enemy  took  it  easy,  and,  be- 
3^ond  exchanging  a  few  shots  with  us  at  long  range, 
nothing  was  done  until  nine  o'clock.  At  that  time  a 
lot  of  niggers  filed  through  the  bush  to  the  Holton 
Arms,  hotel  and  store,  where  they  probably  got  food 
and,  I  suppose,  liquor  as  well,  leaving  only  a  few  men 
stationed  on  the  hills  to  entertain  us.  Three  of  the 
sentries  had  Martini-Henry  rifles,  for  one  could  easily 
discriminate  between  the  crack  of  a  Martini-Henry  and 
that  of  a  Tower  musket,  and  the  whizzes  of  the  bullets, 
too,  were  distinguishable.  In  fact  there  were  a  good 
many  narrow  shaves.    I  was  touched  that  day,  once 


358  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

on  my  heel  and  once  on  my  chin ;  but  nobody  was 
hurt,  and  the  women  kept  up  splendidly.  They  had 
nothing  to  eat  but  a  biscuit  and  water  the  whole 
time. 

''At  about  four  in  the  afternoon  the  general  began 
a  great  shouting  for  his  troops,  but  they  did  not  re- 
spond with  alacrity,  as  they  were  busy  at  the  store. 
After  a  little  while  we  heard  shots  in  front  of  us,  and 
a  small  body  of  mounted  men  came  into  view.  The 
niggers  were  tiring  on  them,  and  the  general  roared 
again  to  his  warriors  at  the  store  to  run  across  and 
intercept  them.  Presently  I  observed  some  of  the 
rascals  running  down  the  hill  through  a  belt  of  bush 
about  six  hundred  yards  away,  and  I  opened  fire, 
planting  a  few  bullets  in  their  midst.  Pascoe  also 
fired  on  them,  and  between  us  we  quickly  sent  them 
back.  In  the  meantime  we  heard,  to  our  joy,  the 
rattle  of  303  calibre  repeating  rifles,  carried  by  the 
relief  patrol,  and  up  galloped  five  horsemen,  two  of 
them  each  carrying  a  man  behind  him.  They  had  had 
an  exciting  ride  out,  as  they  had  lost  their  way  once, 
and  had  been  fired  at  twice  out  of  the  grass  at  the 
road-side,  having  one  man  wounded  and  two  horses 
killed. 

"We  were  very  much  disappointed  at  the  size  of 
the  party,  which  was  too  small  to  enable  us  to  get  out, 
though,  of  course,  it  was  a  great  assistance.  After 
their  arrival  the  niggers  warmed  up  and  kept  us  pretty 
lively  for  the  rest  of  the  afternoon,  just  to  show  us 
that  they  were  not  frightened,  I  suppose.  That  night 
we  agreed  to  sleep  in  pairs,  so  that  we  could  keep 
watch  alternately  at  two-hour  intervals.  This,  of 
course,  was  a  welcome  relief.  The  man  in  charge  of 
the  patrol  wrote  a  despatch  for  more  men,  and  oflered 
a  tottie  boy  £100  to  ride  through  with  it.    He  was  a 


THE  MASHONA  RISING 


359 


light  little  chap  and  had  a  good  horse,  so  there  was 
not  much  danger  for  him.  When  the  moon  went  down, 
at  about  2  a.m.,  he  started  off,  and  went  safely  through 
to  Salisbury.  We  had  two  false  alarms  during  the 
night,  but  I  got  a  few  hours'  sleep  in  spite  of  them. 
We  made  hand  grenades  of  dynamite  and  detonators 
and  hurled  one  over  the  rocks  occasionally  whenever 
anyone  thought  that  niggers  were  lurking  about 
underneath.  In  tlie  gray  dawn  we  were  all  on  the 
qui  vive^  when  a  few  shots  were  heard  in  front,  and 
the  answering  rattle  of  the  Lee-Metfords  was  music  to 
our  ears.  Up  came  another  relief  patrol  of  thirteen 
men,  amidst  cheers  repeated  again  and  again.  Even 
the  new  party  were  very  few  for  our  purpose,  but  after 
consultation  we  agreed  to  make  a  start  as  soon  as  their 
horses  had  rested. 

''As  there  was  not  much  movement  on  the  part  of 
the  natives,  we  thought  it  possible  that  they  had 
withdrawn.  Salthouse  attached  iron  sheets  to  the 
sides  and  end  of  the  wagon,  and  loaded  on  all  the  am- 
munition and  arms.  Three  of  the  mules  had  been  shot 
during  the  night,  and  one  had  wandered  away,  so  we 
put  in  two  mules  and  four  of  the  newly  arrived  horses. 
Part  of  tlie  horsemen  were  to  form  an  advance-guard, 
and  the  rest  a  rear-guard,  while  the  wagon  and  the 
men  on  foot  were  to  be  in  the  middle.  The  advance- 
guard  were  to  fire  into  the  tall  grass  as  they  went 
along. 

"Two  of  us  covered  the  Matabele  tobacco  devotee 
behind  the  big  rock,  so  that  he  dared  not  show  his  head 
to  shoot  the  horses  while  they  were  being  inspanned. 
The  three  women  and  the  wounded  man  were  put  into 
the  wagon,  and  we  got  off  at  about  11.30  a.m.  For 
awhile  all  went  well,  but  soon  after  we  turned  out 
of  the  road  branching  off  to  the  Alice,  a  shot  or  two 


360  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

greeted  our  approach.  The  advance-guard  was  wast- 
ing so  much  ammunition  by  firing  at  random  into  the 
long  grass  that  we  feared  it  would  soon  be  gone,  and 
word  was  sent  forward  telling  them  to  be  more  care- 
ful. The  enemy's  fire  became  brisker  as  we  pro- 
ceeded ;  and  as  we  could  very  seldom  see  the  fiends, 
we  were  obliged  to  shoot  at  the  puffs  of  smoke  coming 
from  the  trees  and  grass  on  the  hill-side  and  at  the  river. 
The  horses  stood  fire  admirably.  We  advanced  at  a 
brisk  walking  pace,  the  niggers  making  bad  practice, 
and  some  of  our  men  shooting  wildly,  too.  As  we 
passed  my  camp  a  heavy  fire  came  from  it,  and  one 
man,  McGreer,  was  killed,  and  a  horse  shot.  The  man 
was  quite  dead,  so  we  took  his  rifle  and  bandolier,  and 
left  the  body — could  not  do  otherwise. 

''On  we  went  again,  the  shots  coming  thick  and 
fast,  while  narrow  shaves  were  numerous  ;  but  no 
one  else  was  hit  for  some  time.  One  bullet  touched 
the  leg  of  my  trousers,  and  a  little  spaniel  at  my  heels 
was  shot  twice.  As  we  moved  on,  many  savages  fol- 
lowed in  our  rear,  so  that  we  had  to  turn  now  and 
again  to  give  them  a  few  volleys ;  then  the  brutes 
dodged  into  the  grass,  and  crept  along  trying  to  inter- 
cept us.  Besides  these,  new  arrivals  were  lining  the 
road.  After  a  bit  our  way  led  close  to  the  hill  on  one 
side,  and  along  the  edge  of  a  swamp  on  the  other. 
From  both  sides  the  niggers  weve  peppering  us,  and  it 
was  remarkable  that  more  damage  was  not  done.  Our 
procession  became  somewhat  disorganized,  more  horses 
were  killed,  and  very  often  the  rear-guard  pressed 
right  up  to  the  wagon  ;  some  of  the  footmen  were  get- 
ting out  of  breath,  and  had  to  hold  on  to  the  wagon, 
or  jump  up  on  the  steps  at  the  sides. 

''After  going  about  seven  miles  we  came  to  a  hot  . 
corner,  where  the  steep  hill-side  which  ran  down  to  the 


THE  MASHONA  EISING 


361 


road  was  thronged  with  savages.  The  long  grass  on 
the  opposite  side  was  similarly  occupied.  The  niggers 
behind  were  pressing  on  with  horse  and  foot.  The  two- 
wheeler  mules  were  killed  in  the  coach,  and  the  firing 
became  exceedingly  heavy — flashes  coming  out  of  the 
grass  within  a  few  yards  of  us.  We  quickly  cut  out 
the  dead  mules  and  put  in  horses,  which  in  turn  were 
immediately  shot  dead.  Pascoe  was  on  top  of  the 
coach  doing  good  work  with  his  rifle.  At  one  place, 
while  helping  to  take  out  the  dead  horses,  I  was 
obliged  to  turn  quickly  around  and  rattle  a  few  shots 
into  the  grass,  where  the  flashes  were  thickest,  and 
then  rush  to  a  dead  man,  take  his  rifle  and  ammuni- 
tion and  put  them  into  the  coach. 

"At  last  the  firing  suddenly  ceased,  and  Pascoe 
says  he  thinks  we  killed  every  mother's  son  of  those 
in  the  tall  grass,  as  he  could  not  see  them  make  a 
move  there  afterward.  We  went  on  without  any 
wheelers  ;  one  horse  which  had  been  hit  in  the  head 
kept  up  for  miles.  Burton  was  shot  through  the  face, 
the  bullet  entering  under  the  ear  and  making  its 
exit  at  the  cheek-bone  opposite.  He  was  standing  at 
the  side  of  the  coach  at  the  time,  and  never  even  fell 
down,  but  crawled  along  and  got  in.  Two  more  men 
were  killed,  Yan  Stadden  and  Jacobs,  both  shot 
through  the  head.  One  of  the  advance-guard  was 
wounded  in  the  face,  but  kept  his  seat  on  his  horse. 
Another  man  took  the  horse  by  the  rein,  and  went  ofl:* 
at  a  gallop  with  him,  thus  getting  beyond  the  natives. 
They  then  hurried  on  to  Salisbury,  where  they  arrived 
at  about  3.30  p.m.,  and  told  the  people  there  that  we 
were  in  fearful  straights,  and  that  nothing  less  than 
one  hundred  men  could  rescue  us.  As  they  could 
spare  only  fifty,  none  were  sent. 

''Nevertheless,  we  fought  our  way  along  and  kept 


362  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

the  devils  back  fairly  well,  although  some  of  them 
kept  cutting  across  to  intercept  us.  We  knocked  over 
two  of  the  nigger  horsemen  at  long  ranges,  and  they 
afterward  kept  at  a  respectful  distance.  We  got  into 
other  ambuscades,  but  none  nearly  so  bad  as  the  one 
described.  Several  bullets  went  through  the  top  of 
the  coach,  and  the  iron  sheets  were  well  dotted  by  bul- 
lets and  slugs,  but  none  went  through.  The  wounded 
men  were  asking  for  water,  and,  in  fact,  we  were  all 
extremely  thirsty,  but  although  there  was  a  tank 
under  the  coach,  we  could  not  get  at  it  without  stop- 
ping. Even  when  we  reached  the  river  near  the  Sal- 
vation Army  farm  we  could  not  stop,  but  galloped 
through,  as  we  saw  a  large  number  of  the  vindictive 
brutes  running  ahead  to  cut  us  oE.  I  was  able  to 
keep  up  all  right  even  while  our  horses  were  trotting, 
but  some  of  the  men  were  very  much  exhausted. 

"  Soon  after  passing  the  farm  we  got  rid  of  most  of 
the  enemy,  a  few  following  on  from  hill  to  hill  and 
potting  at  us,  but  hitting  no  more  of  our  horsemen. 
At  the  Gwibi  River  we  replaced  some  of  the  very  tired 
horses— it  was  wonderful  how  they  kept  up  so  long, 
the  wounded  one  having  travelled  fully  eight  miles 
after  he  was  hit.  A  drink  of  water  for  ourselves  and 
the  horses  was  very  welcome  here,  you  may  be  sure, 
and  we  went  on  after  a  few  minutes'  delay.  We 
had  beaten  back  the  niggers,  but  thought  it  probable 
that  we  should  encounter  more,  three  miles  from  town, 
near  Count  De  la  Penouse's  farm-house,  where  they 
had  been  reported.  Fortunately,  the  rumor  proved  to 
be  without  foundation,  and  we  arrived  at  Salisbury  at 
9.30  P.M.  Thus  we  had  been  obliged  to  fight  our  way 
for  thirteen  miles,  and  had  come  out  with  three  men 
killed,  two  badly  wounded,  three  slightly  wounded, 
and  eight  horses  killed.    Of  course,  this  does  not  in- 


THE  MASHONA  KISING 


363 


elude  Dickinson,  Cass,  K-outledge,  Blakiston,  and  sev- 
eral others  who  had  been  murdered  before  we  left.  It 
was  a  close  call ;  in  fact,  it  was  the  concentrated 
essence  of  several  miracles  that  any  of  us  came  out  of 
it  alive. 

''All  the  Mashonas  in  the  country  have  risen,  and 
whites  are  being  massacred  everywhere.  From  the  out- 
lying districts  men  are  getting  in  every  day,  by  hook 
or  by  crook,  but  most  of  the  outsiders  have  been  killed. 
Poor  Herbert  Eyre  has  been  murdered  on  his  own 
veranda.  Niggers  came  up  and  said  they  wanted 
work — boys  he  knew — and  while  he  was  sitting  at  his 
doorstep  talking  to  them,  they  fell  upon  him.  It  is 
awful  to  have  to  stay  in  town  doing  nothing  while 
one's  friends  are  being  slaughtered.  A  company  of 
eighty  men  has  just  returned  from  Umfuli,  where 
they  rescued  a  few  people,  having  three  of  their  party 
wounded.  A  patrol  sent  to  the  Jesuits'  mission,  twelve 
miles  from  here,  brought  in  seventeen  persons,  includ- 
ing eight  fathers  and  lay  brothers.  A  few  small  patrols 
are  being  sent  out  for  rescue,  but  as  there  are  not  more 
than  five  hundred  men  here  all  told,  we  can't  do  much 
until  reinforcements  arrive.  Our  own  men  who  went 
to  Matabeleland  are  on  the  way  back ;  also  sixty  men 
under  Captain  White  are  making  a  forced  march 
from  Bulawayo.  Some  of  the  Natal  contingent  are 
here,  and  more  are  expected  with  a  lot  of  horses.  It 
is  reported  that  five  hundred  regulars  from  Cape 
Town  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Alderson  are  likewise 
coming  to  our  assistance." 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

RETURN  TO  MASHONALAND 

The  Enkeldoorn  Boers  and  the  Rising— An  Adventure  at  Sejoke's 
Kraal— Arrival  at  Salisbury— The  Jesuits  at  Chishawasha 
—Noble  Deed  of  a  Black  Teacher— The  Rhodesia  Horse 
Drive  the  Chishawasha  Natives  from  Their  Stronghold— 
A  Midnight  Patrol — Chasing  Insolent  Savages — A  Close 
Call — Forty  Days  in  the  Wilderness — The  Salisbury  Hos- 
pital— Difficulties  in  Subjugating  the  Mashonas — Captain 
Montgomery. 

Few  incidents  of  interest  occurred  during  the  return 
journey  of  the  Salisbury  column  from  Matabeleland. 
At  Enkeldoorn  we  found  the  Boers  again  in  laager. 
Subsequent  to  our  former  visit  these  people  had  re- 
sumed vrork  on  their  farms,  but  at  the  time  of  the  Ma- 
shona  rising  they  had  been  obliged  to  collect  hastily 
for  protection.  Of  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
vromen,  and  children  residing  at  isolated  homesteads, 
only  eight  had  been  killed  and  three  wounded.  That 
so  few  casualties  should  have  resulted  is  due  to  the 
suspicion  with  which  the  Boers  regard  the  aboriginal 
population  —  a  suspicion  which,  through  successive 
generations,  has  been  fostered  by  native  massacres  in 
frontier  settlements.  The  past  history  of  South  Africa 
has  been  so  mingled  with  a  repetition  of  these  risings 
that  the  Boer  is  by  instinct  wary  of  his  primitive 
neighbor,  and  in  consequence  has  his  rifle  ready  for 

864 


RETURN  TO  MASHONALAND 


365 


action  at  the  moment  of  warning.  This  is  in  striking 
contrast  with  the  neglectful  way  in  which  the  English 
settlers  in  both  Mashonaland  and  Matabeleland  ex- 
posed themselves  to  the  treachery  of  the  Kafirs. 

The  escapes  of  some  of  the  Boer  families  were  re- 
markable, and  they  were  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
women  seized  the  rifles  of  the  wounded  men,  and  thus 
helped  to  keep  the  natives  at  bay.  Wherever  the  Ma- 
shonas  had  the  opportunity,  they  butchered  in  a  most 
barbarous  manner.  One  man  named  Behr  was  held 
by  arms  and  legs  while  the  cruel  savages  actually  vivi- 
sected him  by  hacking  his  chest  open  with  an  ax.  In 
retaliation  for  such  crimes  the  burghers  had  waged  a 
small  war  on  their  own  account,  attacking  and  burning 
several  villages  and  killing  seventy  Maslionas.  While 
our  column  was  at  Enkeldoorn  one  troop- went  with 
some  burghers  as  guides  to  attack  neighboring  kraals. 
We  could  do  very  little,  as  the  savages  took  refuge  in 
a  stronghold,  said  to  be  impregnable  except  by  the 
use  of  dynamite.  As  we  had  none  of  that  explosive 
the  place  was  shelled  with  the  seven-pounder  ;  and 
judging  by  the  howling  of  the  natives,  some  severe 
punishment  was  inflicted. 

The  column  moved  forward  once  more ;  but  no 
events  of  importance  took  place  until  we  reached  the 
Hanyani  River,  twelve  miles  from  Salisbury,  where  at 
dusk  one  evening  two  of  our  scouts  stumbled  into  a 
Mashona  ambuscade.  They  escaped  with  no  greater 
injury  than  that  of  having  one  horse  killed.  As  the 
savages  fired  they  gave  a  most  hideous  war-yell,  and 
then  fled  into  the  bushes,  apparently  excited  by  the 
sound  of  their  own  voices  and  by  the  discharge  of  their 
own  guns.  This  was  the  first  offensive  move  made 
against  us  by  the  Mashonas. 

The  next  day  our  scouts,  under  Lieutenant  Coryndon, 


366  ox  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

were  sent  to  Sejoke's  stronghold  for  the  purpose  of 
gaining  information.  We  managed  to  get  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  main  village  without  mishap. 
There  before  us  sat  a  band  of  warriors  holding  an 
indaba,  and  totally  oblivious  of  the  presence  of  ene- 
mies. The  temptation  to  give  them  a  surprise  was 
irresistible.  The  kraal  was  situated  in  a  grove  of  um- 
sassa  trees  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  Hanyani 
River,  which,  at  that  place,  runs  through  a  collection 
of  rugged  granite  rocks,  among  which  were  numerous 
caves.  Deciding  quickly  upon  our  course  of  action, 
we  forthwith  spread  out  in  skirmishing  order,  and 
with  a  sudden  war-whoop  bore  down  upon  the  savages. 
The  assault  was  so  unexpected  that  they  did  nothing 
more  than  grab  their  weapons  and  bolt  for  their  hiding- 
places  at  the  river,  leaving,  as  usual,  the  women  and 
children  to  take  care  of  themselves.  Our  army  of  ten 
separated  into  three  divisions.  Christian  and  I  form- 
ing the  main  body,  galloped  through  the  centre  of  the 
village,  while  the  two  flanking  columns,  each  com- 
posed of  four  men,  skirted  the  sides.  There  were  fully 
one  hundred  and  fifty  fighting  Mashonas  there,  but  on 
this  occasion,  believing  doubtless  that  a  large  army 
had  attacked  them,  they  fled  so  swiftly  and  were  so 
artful  in  dodging,  that  they  made  their  escape  before 
we  could  kill  many  of  them. 

Within  a  few  minutes  after  the  onslaught,  however, 
we  were  brought  to  a  realization  of  the  fact  that  we 
were  among  savages  whose  fighting  tactics  were  of  a 
character  differing  widely  from  those  of  the  Matabeles. 
From  thickets,  from  kopjes,  from  ant-heaps,  and  from 
caves  in  the  rocks  all  about  us,  volleys  of  slugs  began 
to  pour  forth  from  muzzle-loading  guns,  the  tremen- 
dous reports  of  which  sounded  quite  like  a  genuine 
battle.    Fortunately  for  us,  our  adversaries  were  not 


HETURN  TO  MASHONALAND 


367 


good  marksmen.  The  screechings  of  some  of  their 
missiles  were  extraordinarily  hideous,  particularly 
those  made  by  "pot  legs,"  which  were  exactly  what 
they  are  named — the  legs  of  old  iron  pots.  These 
people  were  not  at  all  particular  as  to  what  they  used 
in  loading  their  guns.  Any  old  junk  was  satisfactory, 
such  as  pieces  of  glass,  rough  stones,  and  jagged  iron 
bullets.  Even  entire  necks  of  Worcestershire  sauce 
bottles  were  fired  at  the  gallant  countrymen  of  Lea 
&  Perrin.  One  of  our  men,  who  was  wounded  in  a 
subsequent  fight  at  this  place,  had  the  neck  of  a  hom- 
CBopathic  vial  fished  from  his  wound  by  the  surgeon. 
The  inaccuracy  of  the  Mashona's  weapons  and  the 
incompetency  of  these  barbarians  as  marksmen  was 
compensated  for  to  some  degree,  therefore,  by  the 
deadly  character  of  the  missiles  which  they  used.  In 
the  first  charge,  one  scout,  Fitzpatrick,  was  badly 
wounded  in  the  leg,  and  one  horse  was  shot. 

Besides  killing  twenty  Mashonas  in  this  skirmish, 
we  were  confident  of  having  wounded  several,  for  from 
among  the  rocks  we  could  hear  their  cries  of  distress, 
"Yo-way!  Mae- way  I  Teno  wafa  !  Teno  wafa  !  " 
Presently  their  general  began  to  call  his  men  together 
for  an  attack,  and  as  we  had  our  wounded  man  to  care 
for,  we  deemed  it  discreet  to  retire.  We  should  prob- 
ably have  fallen  into  an  ambuscade  farther  down  the 
river  had  not  Sergeant  Wells,  who  was  also  out  recon- 
noitring with  ten  men,  heard  our  firing  and  come  to 
our  assistance. 

The  next  afternoon  we  arrived  at  Salisbury,  where 
we  found  seven  hundred  people  in  laager  at  the  jail. 
All  industry  was  at  a  standstill,  martial  law  had  been 
proclaimed,  and  every  able-bodied  man  was  doing 
military  duty.  A  few  days  later  our  column  was 
sent  to  punish  the  natives  at  the  Jesuit  mission  farm. 


368  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


Chisbawaslia.  We  were  accompanied  by  several  of 
the  Jesuit  fathers,  who,  reinforced  by  some  volun- 
teers, were  to  take  possession  of  the  station  and  hold 
it  as  a  fort. 

In  a  few  years'  time  the  Jesuits  had  converted  a 
wilderness  into  a  beautiful  garden,  with  buildings  of 
brick  and  many  other  excellent  improvements.  They 
had  been  most  kind  and  forbearing  with  the  natives, 
of  whom  there  were  fully  one  thousand  men,  women, 
and  children  dwelling  about  them.  The  task  of  improv- 
ing the  condition  of  these  savages  had  been  found  ex- 
ceedingly difficult  on  account  of  the  general  depravity 
which  exists  among  the  Mashona  tribes.  Many  of  the 
young  boys  had  been  collected  at  the  mission  to  be 
taught  useful  industries,  together  with  what  little  re- 
ligion they  were  capable  of  comprehending.  Nothing 
whatever  had  been  done  by  the  fathers  to  merit  the  ill- 
will  of  the  people  residing  there ;  on  the  other  hand, 
their  deeds  were  such  as  should  win  the  gratitude  of 
any  race  of  beings  gifted  with  the  slightest  trace  of 
that  virtue.  During  the  season  preceding  the  rising 
they  had  twice  supplied  the  natives  with  seed  after 
the  latter  had  lost  their  crops  by  locusts. 

When  the  Jesuite  received  warning  from  the  Gov- 
ernment with  regard  to  the  rebellion,  they  promptly 
began  to  fortify  the  second  story  of  the  building  con- 
taining the  workshops,  as  it  was  the  only  one  that  was 
roofed  with  corrugated  iron.  The  Mashonas,  assum- 
ing an  air  of  innocence,  inquired  why  the  place  was  be- 
ing thus  fortified,  and  whether  news  had  arrived  that 
the  white  people  had  all  been  killed  in  Matabeleland  ! 
They  continued,  reprovingly:  ''If  the  Matabeles  are 
on  their  way  to  Mashonaland,  why  do  not  the  fathers 
warn  the  Mashonas  of  the  danger,  so  that  they  may 
likewise  make  preparations  for  defence  ? ' '    The  par- 


KETUBN  TO  MASHONALAND 


369 


ents  insisted  that  their  children  must  be  removed  from 
the  school,  because  of  uneasiness  at  the  villages. 
Fortunately,  on  Sunday  evening  an  old  woman  se- 
cretly notified  the  Jesuits  that  she  had  heard  the  men 
discussing  the  question  of  murdering  them  that  night. 

The  next  morning  the  entire  male  population  of  the 
native  community  attacked  the  station.  While  the 
men  were  executing  a  vigorous  assault,  the  women 
drove  away  into  the  hills  the  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats 
belonging  to  the  Jesuits.  Three  of  the  leaders  of  the 
attacking  party  were  shot  dead,  and  a  large  number 
were  wounded  within  a  few  yards  of  the  building,  by 
the  men  whom  they  had  intended  to  massacre.  This 
checked  the  rush,  and  the  savages  then  took  cover  in 
the  neighboring  stables,  and  in  the  chapel,  from  the 
windows  of  which  they  kept  up  a  vigorous  fire  ;  but 
eventually  they  withdrew  to  the  hills,  where  they 
watched  the  fathers  bury  the  Mashonas  killed  in  the 
attack.  Some  days  later  a  patrol  from  Salisbury  re- 
lieved the  besieged  missionaries,  and  no  sooner  was 
the  place  deserted  than  the  Mashonas  hastened  down 
to  quarrel  over  the  plunder. 

The  absolute  depravity  thus  exhibited  by  these  peo- 
ple is  appalling.  Even  the  cruel  and  treacherous 
American  Indian,  while  massacring  the  hated  paleface, 
usually  possessed  enough  gratitude  for  kind  deeds  to 
spare  the  Jesuit  fathers.  The  missionaries  of  other 
denominations  fared  even  worse  than  the  Jesuits. 
Mention  has  been  made  of  the  murder  of  Mr.  Cass, 
who  was  in  charge  of  the  Salvation  Army  mission 
farm.  A  number  of  native  teachers  belonging  to  the 
Wesley ans  were  likewise  butchered  by  those  whom 
they  had  regarded  as  their  friends.  One  of  these 
teachers,  a  Basuto,  named  Molele,  deserves  special 
notice  for  his  heroism  in  endeavoring  to  save  the  life  of 
24 


370  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 

a  white  man.  The  incident  is  particularly  worthy  of 
record,  as  one  rarely  hears  of  noble  acts  performed 
by  the  black  men  of  Africa.  A  Mr.  James  White, 
who  resided  on  a  farm  near  the  mission,  had  been  bad- 
ly wounded,  and  left  for  dead.  On  being  apprised 
of  this,  the  native  teacher  went  to  his  rescue.  He  in- 
spanned  two  oxen  to  a  cart  and  started  with  the 
wounded  man  to  the  station.  On  the  road  he  met  his 
own  wife,  who  had  just  escaped  from  their  home, 
which  the  natives  had  already  burned.  She  warned 
Molele  that  the  Mashonas  had  killed  the  children,  and 
were  coming  down  the  road  to  kill  him,  and  urged  him 
to  flee  for  his  life  ;  but  he  answered  that  duty  called 
him  to  remain  with  his  helpless  friend.  In  conse- 
quence, a  few  minutes  later  the  teacher  was  mur- 
dered, along  with  White,  whose  life  he  had  endeav- 
ored to  save.  While  we  should  look  with  contempt 
upon  a  white  man  who  would  for  a  moment  entertain 
a  thought  of  deserting  a  wounded  comrade,  such  self- 
sacrifice  as  was  exhibited  in  this  instance  on  the 
part  of  an  African — from  whom  we  do  not  expect  no- 
ble deeds — is  truly  commendable,  and  gives  reason  to 
hope  for  possible  good  that  may  yet  be  accomplished 
by  Christian  teaching  for  that  benighted  race — the 
aborigines  of  the  Dark  Continent. 

As  the  Rhodesia  Horse  moved  from  Salisbury  tow- 
ard Chishawaslia,  scouts  were  sent  ahead  to  reconnoi- 
tre. Upon  nearing  the  granite  hills  which  formed 
the  stronghold,  we  perceived  by  the  columns  of  blue 
smoke  curling  up  from  the  villages  that  the  natives 
were  there  in  large  numbers.  Our  approach  was  soon 
discovered,  and  a  great  commotion  arose  among  the 
swarthy  inhabitants.  From  all  sides  shouts  of  alarm 
rang  out  on  the  quiet  morning  air.  The  women  and 
children  made  a  hasty  flight  toward  the  Mazoe,  while 


EETUKN  TO  MASHONALAND 


371 


the  men  took  up  their  positions  among  the  rocks, 
caves,  and  fissures  of  their  almost  impregnable  natural 
fortress.  Colonel  Beal  sent  forward  all  the  mounted 
infantry,  and  as  many  of  the  footmen  as  could  be 
spared  from  the  column.  As  usual,  the  natives  had 
every  advantage  in  their  excellent  cover,  and  wher- 
ever we  moved  a  galling  fire  was  poured  upon  us  from 
unexpected  quarters.  On  our  side  the  only  means 
of  locating  the  enemy  was  by  the  clouds  of  smoke 
from  their  guns.  By  the  shouts  of  ' '  Mae-way  ! 
Mae- way  !  which  were  raised  above  the  din,  we  were 
soon  cognizant  of  the  damage  we  were  doing.  At 
one  time  we  succeeded  in  getting  our  adversaries  be- 
tween the  fire  of  the  horsemen  on  one  side  and  the 
footmen  on  the  other,  and  soon  sent  them  bounding 
from  rock  to  rock,  like  a  troop  of  baboons.  We  were 
thus  given  an  opportunity  of  testing  our  marksman- 
ship, which  I  may  add  proved  effective.  The  way  in 
which  they  stood  their  ground — far  better  than  the 
Matabeles  had  done — surprised  us  greatly  ;  but  with- 
in two  hours  from  the  time  the  battle  began  we  had 
driven  every  living  savage  from  the  Chishawasha  hills, 
and  had  destroyed  all  of  their  villages.  Thus,  in  vic- 
torious possession  of  the  field,  our  column  filed  unmo- 
lested down  the  rocky  passes,  and  went  into  laager 
at  the  mission  farm.  As  usual,  the  casualties  on  our 
side  were  slight. 

Two  nights  later  I  accompanied  a  midnight  patrol 
to  attack  some  kraals  a  few  miles  from  Chishawasha. 
We  rode  carefully  among  the  hills  in  the  dim  moon- 
light, being  continuously  on  the  alert  lest  we  should 
fall  into  an  ambuscade.  At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  kopje  upon  which  three  vil- 
lages were  situated.  Our  party,  having  separated  into 
three  divisions,  we  stealthily  crept  among  the  huts. 


372  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 

and  at  a  given  signal  set  fire  simultaneously  to  the 
thatched  roofs.  Almost  instantly  a  magnificent  blaze 
shot  up,  casting  weird  shadows  through  the  surround- 
ing mahobohobo  groves.  We  stood  with  cocked  rifles 
waiting  for  the  astonished  natives  to  pour  out  of  their 
huts,  but  in  this  we  were  disappointed,  for  not  a  sav- 
age showed  himself.  Evidently  anticipating  some 
such  move  on  our  part,  the  Mashonas  had  gone  into 
hiding  among  the  hills.  The  only  noise  which  broke 
the  stillness  of  the  night  was  the  crackling  of  the  burn- 
ing roofs,  the  cackling  of  the  terrified  fowls,  the  plain- 
tive bleating  of  goats  and  sheep,  and  the  howling  of  a 
few  unfortunate  Kafir  dogs  which  had  been  left  behind 
by  their  cowardly  masters.  We  surprised  several 
other  kraals  before  daylight,  but  these  had  likewise 
been  deserted  by  the  inhabitants,  who  had  evidently 
fled  from  their  homes  upon  hearing  of  the  result  of  the 
Chishawasha  battle. 

After  spending  a  few  days  in  patrolling  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  mission  station,  our  column  advanced 
toward  Makombi's  hills,  into  which  the  Chishawasha 
natives  had  retired.  While  we  were  passing  under  some 
kopjes  near  Reimer's  farm,  a  fusillade  was  opened  by 
a  band  of  Mashonas  upon  our  wagons  and  horsemen. 
Captain  Montgomery  immediately  wheeled  his  troop 
and  charged  up  the  hill  whence  the  firing  came,  but 
upon  gaining  the  summit  he  found  it  deserted.  A 
pursuit  was  instituted,  and  I  was  sent  ahead  alone  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  From  my  knowl- 
edge of  these  natives  I  surmised  that  after  discharging 
the  volley  they  would  run  to  the  nearest  stronghold, 
about  four  miles  away ;  and  this  proved  to  be  their 
tactics.  In  the  path  of  their  flight  lay  timbered  hills, 
large  granite  bowlders,  and  deep  ravines.  By  climbing 
a  knoll  I  soon  descried  the  guns  of  the  enemy  glisten- 


RETUKN  TO  MASHONALAND 


373 


ing  in  the  morning  sun  near  a  small  stream  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  below.  When  the  troop  overtook  me,  we 
advanced  quickly  to  the  spot  to  find  nothing  more  than 
human  footprints  in  the  sand  of  the  river,  and  to  see 
the  faint  glimmer  of  rifles,  as  the  natives  were  disap- 
pearing near  the  top  of  a  rugged  kopje.  Our  Zulu 
contingent  under  Captain  O'Reilly  arrived  just  at  this 
juncture,  and  was  sent  up  the  hill  on  foot,  while  the 
troop  made  a  detour  as  quickly  as  possible  around 
to  the  west,  hoping  to  intercept  the  savages  as  they 
should  emerge  from  the  opposite  side. 

The  Mashonas  must  have  exerted  their  running  ca- 
pabilities to  the  fullest  extent ;  for  when  we  reached 
the  place  where  we  had  expected  to  meet  them  we 
caught  only  a  glimpse  of  their  woolly  heads  still  far  in 
advance.  We  were  anxious  to  overtake  them  before 
they  should  reach  their  refuge.  Being  mounted  on 
a  fleet  horse,  I  was  again  sent  ahead  in  order  to 
keep  the  fugitives  in  sight,  and  at  the  same  time,  by 
waving  my  hat,  to  apprise  the  captain  of  the  course 
they  were  pursuing.  It  was  rough  riding  indeed,  as  1 
was  obliged  to  gallop  across  some  deserted  native 
grain-fields  filled  with  stumps  and  snags.  At  one 
place  my  horse  stumbled  into  a  hole,  fell  on  his  head, 
and  rolled  over  on  his  back ;  but,  strangely  enough, 
I  was  able  to  step  from  the  saddle  to  the  ground  as 
he  fell,  then  remount  and  ride  on  without  losing  my 
equilibrium.  Finally,  1  saw  the  enemy  disappear  in 
a  clump  of  bushes.  Cautiously  penetrating  this,  1 
emerged  at  the  farther  edge  of  the  thicket,  to  find  my- 
self within  fifty  yards  of  the  savages !  They  had  set- 
tled down  to  a  walk,  being  almost  completely  ex- 
hausted from  their  running,  and  apparently  believing 
that  they  had  eluded  us.  They  did  not  observe  me, 
however,  and  I  remained  under  cover,  waiting  for  my 


374  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

party  to  arrive,  at  the  same  time  keeping  a  sharp  eye 
on  the  natives. 

When  the  troop  came  to  the  edge  of  the  thicket 
where  tliey  had  last  seen  me,  they  erroneously  con- 
cluded that  I  had  taken  a  path  to  the  right  along  a 
belt  of  timber.  Following  that,  they  unexpectedly 
met  with  another  band  of  savages,  who  opened  lire  on 
the  horsemen  as  they  approached.  The  latter  charged 
at  once,  killing  eleven  of  the  enemy.  The  troop  then 
advanced  to  a  village  which  they  saw  ahead,  and  set 
fire  to  it. 

In  the  meantime  1  waited  impatiently  for  my  com- 
panions to  overtake  me,  and  at  last  concluded  that  the 
captain  had  given  up  the  chase  as  useless,  and  had 
turned  back  toward  the  column.  By  this  time  the 
Mashonas  had  disappeared  in  a  ravine  several  hundred 
yards  ahead,  where  I  thought  it  likely  that  they 
would  all  stop  for  a  drink.  The  impulse  to  follow 
them  farther  was  irresistible.  I  said  to  myself,  "Now, 
Curio,  you  will  be  untrue  to  your  traditions  if  you 
turn  back  without  inflicting  some  chastisement  upon 
that  band  of  savages;"  so  I  cantered  forward  to 
the  ravine. 

As  I  had  anticipated,  they  were  still  at  the  stream 
quenching  their  thirst.  I  gave  an  exultant  shout, 
as  though  apprising  an  army  close  behind  me  that  we 
had  the  crowd  cornered,  then  quickly  dismounted,  and 
fired  three  shots  without  receiving  a  scratch  myself, 
although  they  discharged  several  shots  in  return  as 
they  scrambled  up  the  opposite  bank.  Realizing  that 
the  natives  might  in  a  few  seconds  discover  that  I  was 
alone,  and  then  surround  me,  I  quickly  mounted 
my  horse  and  made  in  the  direction  of  a  tremendous 
column  of  smoke  which  I  surmised  arose  from  a  vil- 
lage set  on  fire  by  Captain  Montgomery  and  his  men. 


EETUEN  TO  MASHONALAND 


375 


I  rode  leisurely  along  a  path,  and  was  just  entering 
a  patch  of  tall  grass  when  I  discerned,  not  fifty  yards 
ahead,  two  armed  Mashonas  crouching  behind  an  ant- 
heap.  Being  ignorant  of  the  number  that  might  be 
there,  and  knowing  that  my  horse  was  already  so  ex- 
hausted by  running  that  I  could  not  escape  should  the 
savages  give  chase,  I  decided  to  charge  them  and  put 
them  to  flight.  Uttering  the  most  hideous  war-whoop 
I  could  produce,  I  galloped  straight  to  the  spot  where 
I  had  seen  the  two  natives. 

They  were  cowed  by  my  move,  and  threw  themselves 
flat  on  the  ground  in  an  endeavor  to  find  concealment. 
As  I  checked  my  horse,  one  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
darted  toward  me.  I  met  his  assault  with  a  bullet 
through  his  chest,  but  instead  of  using  his  spear  or 
his  gun,  as  I  had  anticipated,  he  disappeared  with  his 
comrade  into  the  tall  grass  behind  me.  My  horse,  still 
excited  by  the  previous  chase,  wheeled  and  followed 
the  savages.  In  attempting  to  throw  another  cartridge 
from  the  magazine  into  my  gun,  a  grass-stem  unfortu- 
nately became  caught  in  the  mechanism.  While  thus 
rendered  temporarily  helpless,  a  shot  was  fired  within  a 
few  feet  of  me,  which  struck  my  saddle,  and  the  next 
moment  I  perceived  a  Masliona  four  steps  from  me  to 
my  left,  with  his  gun  levelled  directly  at  my  heart.  An 
instant  later  his  weapon  roared  out,  and  I  realized  that 
I  had  been  hit.  My  first  thought  was  that  I  was  as 
good  as  dead  ;  for  the  blast  of  the  powder  from  the  close 
proximity  of  the  gun,  and  the  blow  of  the  bullet  against 
my  ribs,  led  me  to  infer  that  I  had  been  shot  through 
the  left  lung.  I  was  conscious  of  a  sort  of  homesick 
feeling  that  was  anything  but  agreeable.  Fortunately, 
I  was  not  knocked  out  of  my  saddle.  Digging  the 
spurs  into  my  horse,  I  bounded  past  the  native,  who 
muttered  an  impolite  epithet,  threw  an  assegai  which 


376  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


grazed  my  body,  and  sank  to  the  ground,  exhausted 
by  the  wound  which  I  had  previously  given  him. 
Believing  that  I  had  been  mortally  wounded,  my 
greatest  desire  was  to  stick  to  my  horse  until  he 
could  carry  me  to  our  column,  for  I  had  no  relish  for 
falling  into  the  hands  of  enemies  who  never  take  pris- 
oners. 

I  had  ridden  a  full  mile,  and  was  just  ready  to  drop 
from  my  horse  with  pain  and  exhaustion  from  loss  of 
blood,  when  I  met  six  of  our  men  who  were  out  re- 
connoitring. Two  of  them  helped  me  to  the  laager, 
three  miles  distant,  where  our  skilful  surgeon,  Dr. 
Wylie,  took  me  in  hand,  and  soon  discovered  that  my 
injuries  were  not  as  serious  as  I  had  supposed.  I  had 
been  shot  through  the  left  arm  and  side. 

To  our  hospital  orderly,  Mr.  William  Van  Reit,  is 
due  my  gratitude  for  the  excellent  care  that  he  gave 
me  during  the  time  that  I  was  being  conveyed  to  the 
hospital.  This  gentleman's  sympathies  for  the  suf- 
ferings of  his  fellow-beings  had  been  deepened  by  a 
memorable  forty  days  of  mental  anguish  and  bodily 
suffering  endured  in  1891,  while  lost  in  the  wilds  be- 
tween the  Nuanetsi  and  Umshabetsi  rivers.  While 
hunting,  he  wandered  some  distance  off  the  Pioneer 
road,  and,  owing  to  the  level,  timbered  character  of 
the  country,  he  became  confused  as  to  his  directions. 
He  spent  several  days  in  endeavoring  to  find  his  way 
out  of  the  wilderness  ;  but  finally  despairing  of  this, 
he  took  up  his  abode  in  a  nook  near  a  pool  of  water, 
where  he  remained  for  more  than  a  month,  subsist- 
ing upon  such  scant  food  as  he  could  find  near  at 
hand,  and  awaiting  deliverance. 

He  was  without  a  weapon  of  defence,  for  during  the 
first  few  days  of  his  misfortune  he  had  exhausted  his 
ammunition  in  firing  to  attract  the  attention  of  any 


EETUEN  TO  MASHONALAND 


377 


who  miglit  be  searching  for  him,  and  growing  weary 
of  the  weight  of  his  useless  gun,  he  had  thrown  it 
away.  Having  no  means  of  making  a  fire  he  suffered 
intensely  from  cold.  He  soon  wore  his  teeth  to  the 
gums  by  eating  cream-of-tartar  fruit  and  wild  dates. 
By  digging  with  his  hands  into  the  earth  for  roots,  his 
fingers  were  worn  raw. 

He  related  to  me  that  once  while  sitting  on  the 
ground,  nearly  famished,  and  half  out  of  his  reason, 
meditating  as  to  how  to  obtain  more  food,  he  caught 
under  his  hand  a  lizard  which  happened  to  be  creep- 
ing there.  As  he  gazed  at  the  squirming  creature,  the 
thought  flashed  through  his  mind,  ^' I  wonder  if  this 
thing  is  good  to  eat  ? "  Without  further  ceremony  he 
sampled  its  edible  qualities,  and  as  it  seemed  palatable, 
he  set  about  catching  more.  He  made  a  beaten  path 
from  his  hiding-place  to  the  pool  where  he  often  went 
to  drink.  Finally,  two  huntsmen  happened  to  visit  the 
pool,  and  observing  the  footpath,  they  followed  it  and 
found  Van  Reit,  almost  unconscious,  and  so  nearly 
famished  that  a  few  hours  more  would  probably  have 
ended  his  misery. 

His  suffering  had  been  so  acute  that  he  had  fre- 
quently tried  to  commit  suicide.  The  only  means  at 
hand  had  been  that  of  drowning  ;  and  repeatedly  he 
had  filled  his  pockets  with  stones,  and  plunged,  head 
foremost,  into  the  water.  But  in  spite  of  his  determined 
resolutions  he  invariably  came  out  alive  on  the  oppo- 
site bank  !  This  attempt  at  suicide  by  diving  has  had 
a  curious  effect  upon  his  character,  for  when  slightly 
under  the  infiuence  of  liquor  he  is  seized  with  what 
may  be  termed  "diving  fits."  During  our  Matabele 
campaign  he  was  the  source  of  great  amusement  to 
the  camp  whenever  these  spells  came  on.  He  dived 
into  anything  that  took  his  fancy,  and  once  he  nearly 


378  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


broke  his  shoulder  by  leaping,  frog-fashion,  from  the 
top  of  a  loaded  wagon  to  the  hard  ground.  One  even- 
ing I  saw  him  plunge  head  first  into  the  non-commis- 
sioned officers'  supper- table,  scattering  the  dishes  to 
the  winds  and  causing  consternation  among  the  hun- 
gry sergeants  and  corporals.  His  idiosyncrasy  was 
such  a  novelty,  and  he  accomplished  the  feat  with  so 
much  grace  and  humor,  that  the  disastrous  results 
were  taken  in  good  part.  His  performances  were 
always  preceded  by  the  warning,  ' '  Look  out,  boys ! 
I  am  going  to  make  a  dive  !  " 

From  Yan  E-eit's  care  I  was  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  Mother  Patrick  and  her  corps  of  Sisters  of  Mercy, 
who  have  brought  sunshine  to  the  suffering  in  the 
wards  of  the  Salisbury  Hospital  since  its  founding  in 
1891.  Thanks  to  the  skilful  attention  of  that  excel- 
lent young  surgeon.  Dr.  A.  M.  Fleming,  and  to  a  con- 
stitution uninjured  by  alcoholic  poison,  my  wounds 
soon  healed. 

A  visit  to  the  hospital  at  that  date  was  sufficient 
to  bring  one  to  a  realization  of  the  fact  that  the 
subjugation  of  the  Mashona  nation  was  an  under- 
taking far  removed  from  child' s  play.  The  wounded 
came  in  almost  daily,  and  the  surgeons'  operating- 
room — the  scene  of  the  amputation  of  legs  and  arms, 
and  the  extraction  of  bullets,  pieces  of  glass,  and 
other  deadly  missiles — was  an  attractive  place  for  the 
student  of  surgery. 

Reinforcements  soon  arrived  under  Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Alderson,  and  expeditions  were  sent  in  many 
directions  in  the  endeavor  to  subdue  the  aborigines. 
This  task  was  found  to  be  more  difficult  than  had 
been  anticipated,  for  the  artful  savages  retired  into  the 
fastnesses  of  the  granite  hills,  and  there  took  up  their 
defensive  positions  in  burrows  and  other  natural  re- 


RETURN  TO  MASHONALAND 


379 


cesses,  where  they  defied  the  attacking  parties  until 
dynamite  was  brought  into  use  in  destroying  their 
hiding-places.  When  driven  from  one  series  of  caves, 
they  only  retreated  to  those  of  another  range  of  hills, 
from  which  it  was  equally  difficult  to  dislodge  them. 
As  vast  areas  of  hilly  country  exist  in  Mashonaland, 
it  can  be  imagined  that  the  difficulties  of  subduing 
the  natives  with  a  small  body  of  men  were  almost  in- 
surmountable. Nevertheless,  these  wily  warriors  were 
eventually  conquered;  but  since  able  writers  have 
compiled  histories  of  the  various  brilliant  military 
achievements  of  the  campaign,  I  shall  give  no  further 
detailed  account  of  them  in  this  narrative. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  war  the  Rhodesia  Horse 
continued  to  render  good  service.  A  deep  gloom, 
however,  was  cast  over  the  corps  by  the  fate  of  our 
most  popular  officer.  Captain  F.  K.W.  L.  Montgomery. 
While  leading  a  charge  at  the  Mazoe,  this  brave  man 
received  a  wound  on  the  head  which  has  resulted  in 
paralysis.  A  more  gallant  officer  never  went  into 
battle,  and  his  misfortune  is  greatly  lamented  by  the 
people  of  all  Rhodesia.* 

*  Since  September,  1897,  Captain  Montgomery  has  been  under  the  care 
of  a  famous  specialist,  Dr.  Victor  Horsley,  who  is  sanguine  regarding 
the  ultimate  recovery  of  his  patient. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

POST-BELLUM  OBSERVATIONS 

Review  of  the  Rebellion — The  Rising  not  the  Result  of  Op- 
pression— Barbarians  must  be  Governed  from  the  Vantage 
Ground  of  Superior  Force — Superstitious  Awe  is  soon  Lost 
— Murder  of  an  Englishman  in  Mazoe  Valley  Provokes 
Punishment  of  Natives — Captain  Lendy's  Chastisement  of 
N'Gomo's  People  is  Criticised  in  England — Lenient  Modes 
of  Treatment  Culminate  in  Massacre — Captain  Brabant  and 
the  Victoria  Natives — Lessons  that  the  Mashonas  must 
Learn. 

While  engaged  in  strife,  the  soldier  views  events 
from  a  horizon  extremely  limited  ;  hence  the  reader  of 
this  narrative  has  gained  from  it  but  a  dim  conception 
of  the  war  in  Rhodesia  as  a  whole.  With  the  per- 
spective which  time  and  distance  afford,  w^e  are  now 
able  to  give  a  comprehensive  outline. 

Europeans  were  first  massacred  in  the  Filabusi 
district  on  March  23,  1896.  The  flame  of  rebellion 
spread  so  rapidly  through  the  outlying  farming 
and  mining  regions  of  Matabeleland  that  within  a 
week  not  a  white  man  was  left  alive  outside  of  Bula- 
wayo,  Gwelo,  and  Belingwe.  Although  many  people 
were  rescued  by  relief  parties,  one  hundred  and  forty- 
five  white  men,  women,  and  children  were  treach- 
erously and  brutally  murdered,  together  with  several 
hundred  friendly  Kafirs  in  the  employ  of  the  colonists. 

380 


POST-BELLIBI  OBSERVATIONS 


381 


JSTotwitlistanding  the  fact  tliat  there  was  almost  a 
total  lack  of  military  organization  in  the  country,  the 
inhabitants,  with  surprising  alacrity,  formed  volunteer 
corps  for  the  purpose  of  rescue  and  defence.  Patrols 
were  sent  in  many  directions,  and  those  despatched  to 
Shiloh  and  to  the  Insiza  and  the  Gwanda  districts  met 
with  serious  fighting.  Aside  from  these  engagements, 
and  a  few  skirmishes  with  the  Matabeles  encamped  on 
the  Umgusa  River,  near  the  outskirts  of  Bulawayo, 
the  beleaguered  inhabitants  continued  mainly  on  the 
defensive,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  reinforcements.  The 
readiness  with  which  the  settlers  united  for  protection, 
and  the  fearlessness  displayed  by  them  in  holding  in 
check  the  savage  hordes  during  that  time  of  peril,  ex- 
hibit the  inherent  capability  that  insures  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  race  which  is  in  the  van  of  civilization  in 
Africa. 

Immediately  upon  receipt  at  Salisbury  of  the  news 
of  the  massacres,  a  small  patrol  with  rifles,  a  Maxim 
gun,  and  ammunition  was  sent  to  Gwelo,  while  the 
Rhodesia  Horse  was  forthwith  equipped  on  a  war- 
basis,  and  despatched  to  the  seat  of  trouble.  Rein- 
forcements were  promptly  started  from  the  Cape  Col- 
ony, the  first  column,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Plu- 
mer,  arriving  at  Bulawayo  in  May.  Then  followed 
other  bodies,  including  the  Seventh  Hussars,  all  forces 
in  the  field  being  placed  under  the  command  of  Major- 
General  Carrington.  Offensive  expeditions  were  led 
against  the  rebels,  and  severe  fighting  ensued,  particu- 
larly at  Tabas  Imamba  and  the  Matoppo  Hills,  where 
the  determined  attitude  of  the  whites  quickly  led  the 
Matabeles  to  realize  the  hopelessness  of  their  cause. 
Through  the  clever  diplomacy  of  Mr.  Rhodes,  peace 
negotiations  with  the  Matabeles  were  successfully 
terminated  in  October,  1896. 


382  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIEB 

During  the  course  of  these  events  in  Matabeleland, 
unexpected  troubles  were  thrust  upon  the  inhabitants 
of  Mashonaland.  Three  months  from  the  date  of  the  in- 
surrection in  the  former  locality,  the  Mashonas,  encour- 
aged by  false  reports  of  native  successes  there,  rose  in 
revolt  and  indulged  in  wholesale  carnage.  The  causes 
which  led  to  the  Mashona  rising  were  as  follows  : 
Their  belief  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  Matabeles, 
and  the  consequent  desire  (in  which  both  fear  and 
favor  enter  as  factors  on  the  part  of  weaker  humanity) 
to  identify  themselves  with  the  winning  side  ;  the 
hope  of  securing  immense  quantities  of  loot  from  the 
settlers,  and,  finally,  the  feeling  of  resentment  caused 
by  the  restraints  and  duties  which  inevitably  accom- 
pany the  stage  of  transition  between  barbarism  and 
civilization. 

Within  a  few  days'  time  about  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  more  defenceless  white  settlers  were  massacred, 
along  with  several  hundred  unarmed  and  friendly  na- 
tives, who  were  slaughtered  because  they  were  working 
for  white  men.  The  inhabitants  gathered  for  protec- 
tion at  Victoria,  Charter,  Enkeldoorn,  Salisbury,  Mel- 
setter,  and  Umtali.  Owing  to  the  absence  of  the  force, 
which  had  proceeded  to  Bulawayo,  the  people  of 
Mashonaland  found  themselves  in  such  straits  for 
want  of  horses  and  ammunition,  that  the  work  of  res- 
cue could  be  carried  on  only  to  a  limited  extent.  Be- 
leaguered parties  at  the  Abercorn  gold-fields  and  at 
Hartley  Hills  were  not  relieved  till  several  weeks  after 
the  outbreak. 

Upon  hearing  of  the  rising  the  Ehodesia  Horse 
hurried  back  to  Mashonaland,  arriving  at  Salisbury 
simultaneously  with  a  Bulawayo  relief  patrol  of  sev- 
enty men,  under  Captain  White  ;  while,  in  the  mean- 
time, a  force  of  regulars,  commanded  by  Lieutenant- 


POST-BELLUM  OBSERVATIOXS 


383 


Colonel  Alderson,  was  making  its  way  from  Cape 
Town,  by  way  of  Beira,  to  the  same  destination.  Hos- 
tilities were  carried  on  against  the  savages  at  Machia- 
ngombe's,  at  Makonis,  and  in  various  other  districts. 
With  the  close  of  the  war  in  Matabeleland  the  troops 
advanced  thence  against  Umtigeza  s  and  other  strong- 
holds. Owing  to  the  Mashonas'  baboon-like  tactics 
of  retiring  to  the  hills  and  caves,  and  also  to  the  inde- 
pendent state  of  the  many  native  communities,  sucli 
difficulty  was  encountered  in  bringing  these  people 
to  terms  of  peace,  that  they  were  not  completely 
subjugated  until  September,  1897.  Subsequently,  in 
both  provinces,  numbers  of  murderers  and  instigators 
of  rebellion  have  been  hunted  down,  brought  to  jus- 
tice by  trial,  and  summarily  executed  on  the  gallows. 

The  revolt  of  the  Matabeles  did  not  surprise  those 
conversant  with  the  history  of  Kafir  wars  in  South 
Africa,  but  that  the  Mashona  nation  should  have  re- 
sorted to  offensive  measures  toward  the  whites,  who 
were  the  protectors  of  that  nation  against  the  oppres- 
sions of  their  former  dreaded  enemies,  the  Matabeles, 
has  been  a  source  of  astonishment  even  to  those  who 
regard  themselves  as  best  acquainted  with  the  unciv- 
ilized mind.  But  alas,  we  reason  from  an  erroneous 
premise  when  we  assume  that  the  African  approves  of 
the  change  from  primitive  conditions  to  those  which 
civilization  thrusts  upon  him.  Arm-chair  critics,  far 
removed  from  the  scene  of  action,  are  prone  to  main- 
tain that  the  rising  resulted  from  oppression  on  the 
part  of  the  white  rulers.  The  facts  of  the  case  prove 
this  assumption  to  be  absolutely  unfounded.  That 
there  has  been  gross  mismanagement  is  perfectly  true; 
but  the  mistakes  in  dealing  with  the  Mashonas,  as  well 
as  with  the  Matabeles,  have  been  in  the  line  of  too  great 
leniency  and  too  little  severity. 


384 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 


The  diflS^oulties  to  be  encountered  in  controlling  vast 
hordes  of  unreasoning  barbarians  by  a  handful  of  white 
men,  and  in  maintaining  the  security  of  the  lives  and 
property  of  the  small  number  of  Europeans  scattered 
about,  unprotected,  over  a  vast  area  of  country,  natu- 
rally call  for  measures  widely  different  from  those  in 
vogue  in  enlightened  communities,  and  among  people 
accustomed  for  centuries  to  the  laws  of  civilization. 
In  the  first  stages,  at  least,  of  the  white  man's  rule, 
it  is  necessary,  in  order  to  succeed,  to  govern  from  the 
vantage  ground  of  superior  force,  rather  than  by  reli- 
ance upon  the  natives'  intellectual  and  moral  develop- 
ment. The  Mashona,  as  well  as  his  brother  Kafir, 
wherever  found,  respects  power  and  despises  weak- 
ness ;  and  he  interprets  as  a  sign  of  arrant  cowardice 
the  use  of  those  methods  of  moral  suasion  which  we 
deem  most  just  and  humane.  As  might  be  expected, 
mild  measures  lead  him  quickly  to  discount  the  power 
of  his  rulers,  if  not  actually  to  despise  them. 

The  occupation  of  Maslionaland  by  the  whites  in 
1890  was  received  by  the  natives  with  stolid  indiffer- 
ence, and  not  as  cause  for  rejoicing.  The  latter  be- 
lieved the  Matabeles  to  be  all-powerful,  and  incapable 
of  submission  to  any  foe  in  the  universe.  To  their 
minds  the  presence  of  the  white  men  could  be  only 
temporary,  and  no  matter  what  might  come  of  their 
schemes,  eventually  the  authority  of  Lo  Bengula 
would  be  re-established.  Nevertheless,  these  people, 
true  to  savage  custom,  at  first  regarded  the  new-comers 
with  a  certain  amount  of  superstitious  awe,  which 
checked  familiarity.  This  original  tendency  to  respect, 
however,  wore  away  with  acquaintance  ;  so  that  not 
many  months  had  passed  after  the  settlement  of  the 
country,  when  an  Englishman  was  murdered  in  the 
Mazoe  valley.    An  attempt  was  made  to  secure  the 


POST-BELLUM  OBSERVATIONS 


385 


criminal,  but  the  community  among  whom  he  resided 
refused  absolutely  to  surrender  him,  and  defiantly 
challenged  the  authority  of  the  government  which  made 
such  demands.  A  few  days  later  a  body  of  volunteers 
proceeded  to  the  place  and  gave  the  aborigines  a  taste 
of  the  white  man's  power.  The  effect  of  this  very 
wholesome  lesson  was  widespread  and  decisive,  and 
for  months  thereafter  a  marked  consideration  was 
shown  to  settlers  generally,  even  to  such  as  were 
obliged  to  wander  alone  in  isolated  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. The  natives  were  forcibly  impressed  with  the 
idea  —  which  could  not  have  been  taught  them  by 
milder  measures — that  the  new  government  deserved 
some  consideration  at  their  hands. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that,  according  to  the  Ma- 
shona's  idea  of  law,  the  community  in  which  an  individ- 
ual resides  is  responsible  for  the  acts  of  each  of  its 
members.  The  punishment  thus  inflicted  for  abetting 
and  shielding  crime  was  regarded  by  them  as  a  per- 
fectly legitimate  course  of  action,  and  was  appreci- 
ated accordingly. 

At  a  later  date  the  black  inhabitants  of  the  Ma- 
gwendi  district,  somewhat  removed  from  the  Mazoe  val- 
ley, began  to  develop  a  spirit  of  insolence.  A  colored 
mail-carrier  in  the  employ  of  the  Chartered  Company 
was  murdered  by  some  people  ruled  over  by  the  Chief 
N'Gomo,  and  an  attempt  was  further  made  by  them 
to  kill  a  white  man  named  Bennett,  who  visited  the 
village  to  obtain  information  concerning  the  crime. 
Captain  C.  F.  Lendy,  with  a  few  police,  endeavored 
to  arrest  the  offenders,  but  N'Gomo,  backed  by  his 
warriors,  refused  to  surrender  them.  In  short,  so 
impressed  was  he  with  the  magnitude  of  his  own  im- 
portance, that  he  offered  to  meet  in  battle  all  the 
armies  that  the  white  men  might  bring  against  him. 

25 


386  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

A  few  days  later  Captain  Lendy  led  a  company  of 
forty  volunteers  against  N'Gomo's  stronghold.  In 
the  battle  which  ensued  twenty-five  Mashonas  were 
killed,  and  the  fortification  captured.  The  news  of 
this  little  episode  spread  far  and  wide,  and  its  results 
so  influenced  the  native  population  that  for  many 
months  thereafter  the  lives  and  property  of  white 
men  travelling  in  distant  parts  of  Mashonaland  were 
more  secure  than  in  most  civilized  countries ! 

The  report  of  this  affair  travelled  even  farther  than 
the  borders  of  Mashonaland.  It  reached  the  shores  of 
England,  where  a  cry  of  indignation  was  raised  against 
what  was  termed  "  the  oppression  of  the  aborigines." 
The  demand  for  satisfaction  went  so  far  that  Captain 
Lendy  was  summoned  to  London  to  stand  trial  for 
murder."^  Through  pressure  of  public  sentiment  in 
the  mother-country  against  this  method  of  dealing 
with  the  natives,  measures  were  adopted  "more  in 
harmony  with  modern  ideas  of  progress."  With  time, 
the  good  moral  effect  of  the  N'Gomo  affair  upon  the 
Mashonas  wore  off,  and  their  attitude  again  grew 
threatening.  Robberies  became  frequent,  and  several 
more  murders  occurred.  The  custom  then  established 
of  dealing  with  such  cases  solely  in  the  civil  courts  re- 
sulted in  few  prosecutions  for  theft  and  none  at  all  for 
murder  !  The  difficulties  encountered  in  capturing 
criminals  and  obtaining  evidence  among  such  multi- 
tudes of  barbarians  were  so  great,  and  the  legal  stum- 
bling-blocks in  the  way  of  conviction  were  so  numer- 
ous, that  up  to  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion 
not  a  single  Mashona  had  been  sentenced  for  the 
murder  of  a  white  man!  As  a  natural  result  of  such 
lame  modes  of  procedure,  murder  and  robbery  in- 


*  Captain  Lendy  died  while  on  his  way  to  England. 


POST-BELLUM  OBSERVATIONS 


387 


creased  in  frequency,  and  finally  culminated  in  the 
awful  massacres  of  1896. 

I  liave  no  desire  to  pose  as  an  advocate  of  un- 
necessary severity.  But  I  do  firmly  believe  that 
it  would  have  been  far  wiser  to  continue  to  punish 
promptly  and  unsparingly  every  infringment  of  the 
security  of  life  and  property,  than  to  endeavor  to 
rule  those  natives  by  methods  which  were  entirely 
at  variance  with  their  ideas  of  government,  and  by 
them  held  in  contempt.  With  the  authority  of  the 
white  men  once  thoroughly  established,  the  transition 
to  the  dealing  with  violations  of  law  by  the  civil 
courts  could  have  been  more  easily  accomplished. 
Drastic  measures,  extending  through  the  early  years 
of  settlement,  would,  without  doubt,  have  averted  the 
subsequent  horrors  of  massacre  and  war. 

In  one  locality  alone  were  the  Mashonas  dealt  with, 
for  any  considerable  length  of  time,  by  means  which 
might  be  termed  harsh.  This  was  in  the  Victoria  dis- 
trict, where  the  blacks  were  so  extremely  unruly  that 
rigid  discipline  seemed  absolutely  essential.  During 
the  first  years  of  white  occupation,  native  affairs  in 
that  region  were  left  largely  to  the  discretion  of  Cap- 
tain Brabant,  who  had  had  previous  experience  in 
Kafir  management  in  the  Cape  Colony.  This  gentle- 
man gave  the  tribes  under  him  an  opportunity  to 
learn  of  the  white  man's  power  to  rule.  His  regime 
became  eventually  the  subject  of  so  much  criticism  on 
account  of  its  severity,  that  he  was  dismissed  from 
the  employ  of  the  Chartered  Company.  He  returned 
to  his  home  at  the  Cape,  but  upon  hearing  of  the  re- 
bellion and  the  critical  straits  of  the  white  inhabitants 
of  Rhodesia,  he  forthwith  made  his  way  with  all  speed 
to  Victoria,  where  more  than  one  thousand  natives 
from  among  the  tribes  formerly  governed  by  him 


388  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 

quickly  responded  to  his  call  to  arms.  Thus,  as  allies 
of  the  whites,  these  Kafirs  followed  their  so-termed 
former  '^oppressor"  to  assist  in  quelling  the  revolt 
of  their  brother  Mashonas  residing  in  the  more  hu- 
manely treated  sections. 

The  natives  surrounding  Victoria  were  among  the 
few  in  Rhodesia  who  remained  loyal  to  the  Chartered 
Company.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Salisbury,  on  the 
other  hand,  where  the  Mashonas  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  appealing  successfully  to  the  Government  for  legal 
proceedings  against  white  men  over  the  most  trivial 
grievances,  and  where,  in  many  cases,  the  officials  had 
been  over-zealous  and  even  foolish  in  their  endeavors 
to  protect  aborigines  and  punish  white  men,  the  former 
rose  in  revolt  with  astonishing  celerity.  All  this  is 
now  history,  not  theory.  Thus  we  have  brought  forci- 
bly into  prominence  the  two  traits  of  Kafir  nature  re- 
ferred to  earlier  in  this  chapter — respect  for  power  and 
rigid  rule,  and  contempt  and  ingratitude  for  lenient 
treatment. 

When  first  introduced  to  white  men,  the  Mashonas 
were  by  no  means  the  industrious,  honest,  guileless 
creatures  that  they  have  been  so  often  pictured.  On 
the  contrary,  the  Pioneers  found  them  endowed  in  full 
measure  with  those  four  qualities  to  which  black  hu- 
manity is  especially  heir,  namely,  thriftlessness,  slov- 
enliness, laziness,  and  deceitfulness.  As  a  people, 
they  are  ungrateful,  lawless,  artful,  blood-thirsty— a 
treacherous  race  of  robbers  and  murderers.  There 
seem  to  be  few  vices  known  to  any  civilized  nation 
which  have  not,  for  many  generations,  been  common 
among  these  tribes.  For  their  government  there  can 
be  but  one  maxim,  and  that  is  rigorous  justice. 
They  must  learn  two  important  lessons.  The  first  is 
obedience  to  law,  and  the  second,  the  dignity  of  labor. 


POST-BELLTO  OBSERVATIONS 


389 


It  is  absolutely  imperative  that  these  precepts  be  forced 
upon  this  degraded  people,  even  though  it  be  by 
methods  which  savor  of  severity,  for  otherwise  their 
advancement  is  impossible.  Unless  they  are  capable 
of  development  to  a  stage  of  usefulness,  they  are  of 
less  value  to  the  world  than  the  beasts  of  the  field. 


CHAPTER  XXVIIl 

THE  RACE  PROBLEM 

A  Primitive  Race  must  Serve  its  Conquerors  or  Perish— Advan- 
tages of  the  American  Negro  over  the  Native  African — 
The  Labor  Problem  in  Rhodesia— The  Rev.  Isaac  Shim- 
min's  Opinions— Father  Daignault  Advocates  the  Exertion 
of  State  Authority  over  Native  Laborers — The  Present 
Situation — Removal  of  Natives  to  Reservations — Mistaken 
Dependence  upon  Black  Labor,  and  its  Remedy  —  Race 
Prejudice — Unless  Aborigines  are  Taught  to  Work,  Con- 
tact with  Civilization  Results  to  their  Detriment— Mission 
Work. 

The  survival  of  an  inferior  race  when  pressed  upon 
by  civilization,  lies  mainly  in  its  capacity  to  acquire 
intelligence  and  in  its  possession  of  what  the  world 
calls  stamina.  Intelligence  and  activity  will  triumph, 
while  stupidity  and  indolence,  accompanied  by  the 
vices  of  civilization,  will  result  in  destruction.  Fur- 
thermore, unless  a  primitive  people  can  be  made  use- 
ful to  their  conquerors,  the  latter  will  inevitably  crowd 
them  to  the  wall.  Throughout  history,  human  prog- 
ress has  resulted  largely  from  the  forcible  encroachment 
of  nations  of  superior  characteristics  and  customs 
upon  races  of  lower  development.  Without  the  em- 
ployment of  radical  measures,  there  is  little  hope  for 
the  rapid  improvement  of  those  tribes  which  are  thor- 
oughly satisfied  with  their  depraved  condition.  The 

390 


THE  RACE  PROBLEM 


391 


Kafir's  easily  contented  disposition,  and  his  willingness 
to  submit  to  degradation  and  insult,  are  characteristics 
which,  at  the  present  stage  of  his  development,  fit 
him  for  little  more  than  servitude.  The  enforcement, 
therefore,  of  state  regulations  which  will  compel  the 
African  to  toil  for  a  compensation,  will  almost  cer- 
tainly result  to  his  benefit. 

That  forced  servitude,  even  in  the  abhorrent  form  of 
chattel  slavery,  has  exerted  a  potent  influence  in  the 
uplifting  of  primitive  man,  is  exemplified  by  its  results 
upon  the  negro  in  America.*  Through  an  apprentice- 
ship of  bondage,  the  negro  has  been  removed  from  a 
state  of  barbarism  and  superstition,  and  placed  in  pos- 
session of  the  language  and  customs,  religion  and  use- 
ful arts  of  the  most  progressive  of  all  races.  Thus,  forc- 
ibly weaned  from  his  benighted  associations,  taught 
to  labor,  and  kept  under  the  influence  of  an  ener- 
getic people,  he  has  reached  a  point  on  the  high  road 
of  progress  that  his  brother  in  Africa  probably  will  not 
attain  in  a  thousand  years.  The  conditions  surround- 
ing the  American  negro  have  been  greatly  in  his  favor, 

*  "  God  for  250  years  was  preparing  the  way  for  the  redemption  of  the 
Negro  through  industrial  development.  First,  He  made  the  Southern 
white  man  do  business  with  the  Negro  for  250  years  in  a  way  that  no  one 
else  has  done  business  with  him.  If  a  Southern  white  man  wanted  a 
house  or  a  bridge  built,  he  consulted  a  Negro  mechanic  about  the  plan, 
about  the  building  of  the  house  or  the  bridge.  If  he  wanted  a  suit  of 
clothes  or  a  pair  of  shoes  made,  it  was  the  Negro  tailor  or  shoemaker  that 
he  talked  to.  Secondly,  every  large  slave  plantation  in  the  South  was,  in 
a  limited  sense,  an  industrial  school.  On  these  plantations  there  were 
scores  of  young  colored  men  and  women  who  were  constantly  being 
trained,  not  alone  as  common  farmers,  but  as  carpenters,  blacksmiths, 
wheelwrights,  plasterers,  brick-masons,  engineers,  bridge-builders,  cooks, 
dressmakers,  housekeepers,  etc.,  more  in  one  county  than  now  in  the 
whole  city  of  Atlanta.  I  would  be  the  last  to  apologize  for  the  curse  of 
slavery,  but  I  am  simply  stating  facts." — Booker  T.  Washington,  Indus- 
trial Training  for  the  Negro. 


392 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FEOXTIER 


while  the  environment  of  the  African  native  places 
him  at  a  disadvantage.  The  language,  superstitions, 
traditions,  and  habits  of  the  latter  all  tend  to  hold 
him  at  a  low  level  of  existence.  Nor  are  his  prospects 
enhanced  by  a  climate  favorable  to  indolence,  and  by 
his  inherent  tendency  to  live  in  idleness.  Unfortu- 
nately for  him,  modern  ideas  in  regard  to  personal  lib- 
erty are  removing  that  pressure  which,  if  exerted, 
might  force  him  into  better  habits. 

From  among  a  native  population  in  South  Africa 
estimated  at  over  8,000,000,  it  is  impossible,  under  ex- 
isting conditions,  to  obtain  sufficient  labor  to  supply 
the  demands  of  a  European  population  of  not  more 
than  800,000.  In  Rhodesia,  where  the  proportion  of 
blacks  to  whites  is  far  greater  than  in  the  districts  far- 
ther south,  the  question  of  native  help  is  a  most  serious 
one.  The  interest  taken  in  the  subject  by  the  perma- 
nent resident  naturally  emanates  largely  from  a  desire 
to  obtain  laborers  to  work  his  farm  or  his  mine ;  but 
with  the  missionaries,  who  are  equally  solicitous  that 
the  Kafirs  be  made  to  toil,  the  motive  arises  from  their 
appreciation  of  the  fact  that  unless  the  aborigines  can 
be  taught  to  work,  there  is  little  hope  for  their  mental 
and  moral  improvement. 

Early  in  the  development  of  Rhodesia,  the  Chartered 
Company  found  it  necessary  to  enforce  regulations 
which,  to  a  degree,  have  been  instrumental  in  causing 
the  natives  to  enter  into  the  employ  of  the  colonists. 
The  first  of  these  was  a  hut-tax  of  ten  shillings  per 
annum  levied  upon  each  able-bodied  man.  The  second 
consisted  of  demands  upon  various  chiefs  to  forward 
men  from  their  respective  kraals  to  work  for  the 
settlers,  with  the  assurance  of  receiving,  in  payment 
for  their  services,  fair  and  regular  monthly  wages.  A 
few  head-men  responded,  but  the  great  majority  gave 


THE  RACE  PROBLEM 


393 


no  heed  to  the  call.  Over- zealous  and  ignorant  critics 
have  found  in  these  regulations  sufficient  ground  for 
the  serious  charge  of  slavery.  The  assumption  that 
"  forced  labor"  in  Rhodesia  has  been  of  such  a  char- 
acter as  to  savor  of  slavery,  springs  from  an  erroneous 
view  of  the  actual  situation. 

The  Rev.  Isaac  Shimmin,  Superintendent  of  Wes- 
leyan  Missions  in  Rhodesia,  in  the  course  of  some 
observations  upon  this  identical  question,  has  made 
the  following  fair  and  logical  statement : 

''As  a  Christian  minister,  I  should  strongly  depre- 
cate the  slightest  infringement  of  the  liberties  of  any 
subject ;  but  to  affirm  that  a  veiled  form  of  slavery  is 
condoned  by  the  officials  of  the  Chartered  Company, 
is  a  travesty  of  terms  unworthy  of  reasonable  men. 
The  subject  of  native  labor  is  too  wide  to  dwell  upon 
here ;  and  I  think  it  might  be  a  wise  step  to  summon 
a  conference  of  missionaries,  officials,  and  others  to 
discuss  the  whole  question.  The  result  might  tend  to 
a  practical  solution  of  a  problem  which  has  hitherto 
baffled  so  many  of  those  who  have  the  best  interests 
of  the  natives  at  heart.  No  one  will  contend  for  a 
moment  that  a  crowd  of  idle  loafers,  whether  white  or 
black,  is  as  useful  to  the  community  as  a  company  of 
industrious  laborers.  But  in  this  country  we  have 
thousands  of  savages  living  in  sloth,  and  thus  ready 
for  all  kinds  of  mischief  ;  and  yet  we,  who  know  that 
to  them  the  discipline  of  work  for  a  few  months  in  the 
year  would  be  of  the  highest  moral  benefit,  are  help- 
less to  influence  them  in  the  right  direction  without 
risking  a  charge  of  patronizing  slavery." 

While  quoting  from  missionaries  on  the  native  labor 
question,  1  cannot  do  better  than  give  an  extract 
from  a  memorandum  by  the  Rev.  Father  Daignault, 
Priest  in  Charge  of  the  Catholic  Missions  in  Rhodesia : 


394  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

^'  In  my  opinion,  the  natives  of  this  country  must  be 
considered,  and  in  reality  are,  but  grown-up  children. 
Unfortunately,  they  do  not  possess  the  innocence  of 
children,  but,  on  the  contrary,  are  given  to  manj^  vices, 
conspicuous  among  them  being  their  strong  inclination 
to  idleness,  strengthened  by  long  habit.  This  general 
indolence  of  the  men,  especially,  is  the  principal  cause 
of  the  oft-recurring  scarcity  of  food,  and  its  accom- 
panying sufferings  and  deaths.  It  fosters  drinking- 
habits,  and  is  the  cause  of  many  thefts  and  deadly 
quarrels.  Consequently,  men  in  authority,  who  have 
the  true  interests  of  the  natives  at  heart,  ought  not 
only  to  treat  them  as  children,  but  they  ought  also 
to  do  all  they  can  to  make  them  acquire  habits  of 
industry.  As  this  cannot  be  attained  by  mere  moral 
persuasion,  authority  must  necessarily  be  used. 

"White  men  in  every  civilized  state  are  obliged  to 
work  in  order  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  laws  and  regu- 
lations concerning  lands,  dwellings,  sanitary  arrange- 
ments, etc.  ;  they  are  obliged  to  work  to  pay  the  taxes 
and  rates  imposed  for  the  general  good  of  the  state. 
I  believe  these  laws  and  regulations  to  be  even  more 
necessary  for  the  natives  than  they  are  for  the  white 
men,  and,  if  enforced,  the  natives  would  be  obliged  to 
work.  This,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  kind  of  forced  labor 
required  in  this  country,  and  would  be  beneficial  to 
the  w^hole  community." 

It  is  an  easy  matter  to  propose,  in  a  general  way, 
broad  principles  for  the  solution  of  the  native  labor 
difficulties,  but  to  give  in  tangible  form  a  definite  line 
of  procedure — to  state  just  what  laws  to  enact,  and  the 
best  methods  of  enforcing  them  without  the  risk  of 
stepping  beyond  the  realm  of  justice — seems  thus  far 
to  have  foiled  the  efforts  of  the  most  thoughtful. 

At  present  the  native  situation  in  Rhodesia  is,  of  its 


THE  KACE  PKOBLEM 


395 


own  accord,  drifting  toward  the  conditions  prevailing 
in  the  Cape  Colony  and  Natal,  namely,  the  separation 
of  the  aborigines  into  two  classes — those  living  among 
the  whites  and  subjected  to  the  civil  law,  and  those 
placed  in  reservations  under  native  law. 

The  environment  of  the  former  will  force  from  them 
a  limited  amount  of  labor  ;  but  unless  they  are  kept 
under  rigid  control,  Rhodesia  may  find  itself  in  a  po- 
sition similar  to  that  of  parts  of  South  Carolina,  for 
example,  where  the  existence  of  the  white  farmer  is 
rendered  unbearable  by  the  depredations  upon  his 
crops  and  stock  made  by  negroes  dwelling  largely  in 
idleness  in  the  regions  surrounding  him. 

Only  a  very  small  proportion  of  either  Matabeles  or 
Mashonas  have  thus  far  been  persuaded  into  toiling 
for  white  men ;  and  even  when  their  services  are  ob- 
tained, it  is  seldom  that  these  people  can  be  induced 
to  work  for  more  than  one  or  two  months — barely 
long  enough  to  learn  the  methods  that  their  employ- 
ers desire  them  to  pursue.  Left  entirely  to  their  own 
choice,  they  prefer  to  remain  idle.  Easy  tasks,  such 
as  kitchen  work  and  cattle-herding,  are  to  a  degree 
acceptable  to  them,  but  anything  in  the  shape  of  down- 
right hard  manual  labor  receives  their  unqualified  dis- 
favor. To  no  race,  indeed,  does  labor  seem  more  of  a 
hardship  than  to  the  Mashonas.  Their  propensities 
for  deception  and  theft,  and  their  wily  scheming  to 
shirk  duties,  render  them  most  exasperating  as  em- 
ployees. It  is  necessary  to  keep  one's  eye  con- 
tinually upon  them  ;  otherwise  little  or  nothing  is 
accomplished.  Yet,  under  the  guidance  of  a  rigor- 
ous master,  they  are  capable  of  performing  many 
kinds  of  useful  service,  providing  their  task  is  a 
simple  one,  such  as  wielding  a  hoe  or  a  shovel,  and 
does  not  require  any  special  exertion  of  intellectual 


396  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FKONTIER 

ability.  Occasionally  one  meets  with  natives  possessed 
of  considerable  capacity  for  improvement ;  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  if  placed  under  severe  discipline  and 
given  a  preliminary  schooling  of  manual  training,  the 
race  might  be  made  useful  to  the  world.  In  order, 
however,  to  attain  even  a  small  degree  of  success  in 
the  management  of  native  laborers,  whether  good  or 
bad,  the  employer  must  deal  fairly,  exact  obedience, 
live  up  to  his  promises  to  the  minutest  detail,  and 
pay  wages  promptly  at  the  close  of  each  month. 

For  my  own  part  I  found  both  Matabeles  and  Ala- 
shonas  so  unsatisfactory  that  I  employed  them  only  at 
such  times  as  I  was  unable  to  procure  Zambesi  or 
Shangaan  workmen.  From  north  of  the  Zambesi 
River,  and  from  the  Portuguese  East  Coast  posses- 
sions, these  natives  make  their  way  in  small  numbers 
to  Mashonaland  and  Matabeleland,  and  willingly  work 
for  awhile  in  order  to  obtain  sufficient  wealth  with 
which  to  purchase  one  or  two  wives.  When  this  ob- 
ject has  been  accomplished,  they  consider  that  their 
fortunes  have  been  made,  and  that  they  can  spend  the 
remainder  of  their  days  basking  in  the  sunlight,  while 
the  women  produce  from  the  fields  the  wherewithal 
for  their  subsistence.  Consequently,  from  this  source 
but  a  limited  amount  of  labor  is  forthcoming,  even  at 
the  best  of  times ;  and  since  it  was  this  class  of  friend- 
1}^  natives  w^ho  were  victims  of  massacre  in  the  recent 
uprisings,  their  kinsmen  now  are  loath  to  leave  their 
homes  for  fear  that  they  may  meet  with  a  similar  fate. 

In  the  Zambesi  valley  and  the  regions  northward 
there  are  immense  areas  of  unoccupied  and  extremely 
fertile  land,  too  unhealthful  for  European  habitation, 
but  where  the  native  African  can  live  and  thrive.  It 
is  a  perfectly  feasible  proposition,  and  one  which 
would  result  to  the  benefit  of  both  whites  and  blacks, 


THE  RACE  PROBLEM 


397 


that  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  Rhodesia  be  removed 
to  such  districts,  where  they  can  be  left  to  work  out 
their  destiny  under  the  guidance  of  missionaries.  The 
military  force  necessary  to  guard  the  borders  of  such 
reservations  would  by  no  means  be  as  great  as  that 
required  to  insure  the  safety  of  the  white  inhabitants 
living  in  the  midst  of  a  large  native  population. 

The  removal  of  a  tribe  from  its  land,  however,  often 
arouses  a  feeling  on  the  part  of  enlightened  humanity 
that  such  proceedings  are  necessarily  unjust.  Never- 
theless, with  the  Bantu,  removal  does  not  entail  the 
same  degree  of  hardship  that  we  contemplate  in  the 
dispossession  of  land  in  civilized  communities.  The 
natives  do  not  hold  the  soil  in  the  same  sense  of  own- 
ership. To  them  the  earth  is  as  free  as  the  air  and  the 
water,  and  to  be  used  only  in  ministration  to  their  im- 
mediate wants.  The  occupancy  of  any  given  plot  of 
ground  is  but  temporary.  From  time  to  time,  as  the 
soil  loses  its  fertility,  they  move  forward  to  new  sections. 
According  to  ethics  as  taught,  I  presume  there  can 
be  no  excuse  for  encroaching  upon  the  territory  of 
another  race,  but  in  reality  the  laws  of  human  prog- 
ress are  inexorable.  By  their  ceaseless  operation  the 
American  Indian  and  the  Australian  Bushman  have 
in  a  very  short  space  of  time  given  place  to  a  people 
who  march  in  the  van  of  the  world's  enlightenment. 

The  fact  of  the  whole  matter  is,  when  we  come  to  the 
bottom  of  the  question,  that  in  South  Africa  generally, 
entirely  too  much  dependence  is  placed  upon  the  Kafir 
for  the  execution  of  all  kinds  of  menial  labor.  The 
idea  which  is  prevalent  among  the  whites,  that  they 
cannot  dispense  with  the  services  of  the  native,  is  a 
factor  which  is  liable  to  retard  the  advancement  of 
Africa.  English  and  Dutch  alike  are  firmly  set  in  the 
belief  that  the  country  cannot  be  developed  without 


398  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

the  aid  of  the  blacks.  With  regard  to  many  portions 
of  the  Dark  Continent  this  is  perfectly  true,  but  con- 
cerning those  sections  suitable  for  European  habita- 
tion, the  assumption  is  an  erroneous  one.  This  de- 
pendence upon  the  Kafir  without  doubt  is  the  result 
of  ideas  handed  down  from  the  slave  days.  White 
men  will  not  work  by  the  side  of  natives  on  account 
of  the  supposed  loss  of  dignity  entailed  by  associating 
with  such  inferiors. 

The  principal  argument  for  employing  Kafir  labor 
is  its  supposed  cheapness.  But  that  it  is  really  cheap 
is  an  open  question  ;  for  it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind 
its  inferior  quality.  In  spite  of  that,  however,  Kafirs 
at  Johannesburg  and  Kimberley  are  to-day  receiving 
higher  wages  for  fewer  hours  than  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  white  laborers  in  Europe. 

It  is  absurd  to  argue,  as  many  do,  that  on  account 
of  climate,  white  men  cannot  work  equally  as  well  as 
the  blacks  on  the  diamond  and  gold  fields,  on  stock 
ranches,  and  on  farms.  Even  in  subtropical  Rhodesia, 
where  the  land  is  yet  new,  I  have  seen  many  Ameri- 
can and  Australian  prospectors,  fresh  from  their  re- 
spective countries,  digging  in  their  mines  in  order  to 
avoid  the  worry  entailed  by  overseeing  stupid  Kafir 
workmen.  In  unheal tliful  portions  of  the  Rhodesian 
gold-fields,  the  author  also,  when  afflicted  with  the 
gold  fever,  wielded  the  pick  and  shovel  for  many 
weeks  without  the  slightest  ill  effects  from  climate. 
In  fact,  physicians  assert  that  in  malarial  districts  it 
is  conducive  to  health  to  engage  in  some  occupation 
that  causes  one  to  perspire  freely. 

If,  moreover,  we  should  consider  the  labor  question 
with  a  view  to  what  wdll  accrue  to  the  greatest  benefit 
of  the  white  inhabitants  of  Africa,  it  would  be  necessary 
to  go  farther  than  the  mere  prevention  of  forced  labor 


THE  RACE  PROBLEM 


899 


among  the  blacks.  No  wiser  step  can  be  taken  to  in- 
sure the  rapid  development  and  permanent  supremacy 
of  the  European  in  Africa  than  the  passing  and  rigid 
enforcement  of  laws  against  the  employment  of  black 
labor  of  any  sort  except  in  regions  unheal thful  to 
white  men.  With  a  scarcity  of  native  help  would  go 
a  demand  for  white  laborers  from  Europe  which  would 
guarantee  the  peopling  of  the  healthful  portions  solely 
by  a  race  far  more  valuable  to  the  world  than  the 
aborigines. 

The  Boers,  reared  in  the  rural  districts  of  the  south, 
demonstrate  the  fact  that  a  sturdy  white  race  can  re- 
tain its  vigor  on  African  soil  as  well  as  in  any  other  part 
of  the  globe.  In  whatever  land  a  colony  of  vigorous 
Europeans  thrive,  their  increase  and  the  ultimate  dis- 
appearance of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  seems  to  be  an 
inevitable  consequence.  Notwithstanding  the  anthro- 
pological idiosyncrasies  of  the  Kafir,  which  permit  him 
to  exist  under  adverse  conditions,  and  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  under  British  protection  he  is  rapidly 
multiplying  in  reservations  in  the  Cape  Colony  and 
elsewhere,  it  is  probable  that  the  laws  of  advancement 
will  in  time  materially  check  his  increase  in  those 
parts  of  Africa  which  are  suitable  for  a  white  popula- 
tion. With  the  natural  multiplying  of  the  white  in- 
habitants, and  the  consequent  demand  for  more  land 
which  overcrowding  will  necessitate,  it  seems  certain 
that  large  numbers  of  tribal  natives  will  require  to  be 
removed  to  reservations  in  portions  of  tropical  Africa, 
in  order  to  make  way  for  a  better  race. 

Early  in  the  century,  British  philanthropy  under- 
took to  save  the  aborigines  of  South  Africa  from  being 
swept  away  by  the  on-rush  of  European  civilization. 
As  a  result  of  much  uncalled-for  interference  in  behalf 
of  the  natives,  bitter  resentment  has  been  fostered  on 


400  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

the  part  of  the  Boers  toward  the  British,  while  race 
prejudice  toward  the  blacks  has  been  greatly  intensi- 
fied. Whatever  ideas,  concerning  the  Kafir's  relative 
position  in  the  human  scale,  the  Boers  have  acquired 
through  generations  of  dealing  with  him,  are  adopted 
almost  immediatel}^  by  all  settlers  in  Africa,  whether 
Anglo-Saxon  or  Teuton.  The  greater  the  influence 
that  is  brought  to  bear  in  the  attempt  to  induce 
Europeans  to  meet  the  blacks  on  an  equality,  the 
stronger  the  race  prejudice  becomes.  May  this  not  be 
a  wise  provision  of  nature,  destined  to  preserve  the  su- 
perior race  and  to  maintain  its  supremacy  ?  Without 
the  presence  of  a  wide  gap  separating  whites  and 
blacks,  not  only  politically,  but  even  to  the  extent  of 
rigid  caste  distinction,  the  former  would  stand  in  im- 
minent danger  of  being  forced  downward,  while  the 
latter,  by  assuming  themselves  to  be  the  equals  of  the 
whites,  would  lose  an  essential  impetus  to  improve- 
ment, and  become  insufferable. 

That  a  people  of  advanced  qualities  should  be  re- 
tarded in  their  progress  in  order  that  some  race  of  in- 
ferior and  uncertain  capabilities  may  be  preserved  as  a 
menace  to  coming  generations,  is  contrary  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  racial  advancement.  No  amount  of  press- 
ure, however,  that  may  be  exerted  to  elevate  the  Kafir 
at  the  expense  of  the  future  possibilities  of  develop- 
ment and  expansion  of  the  European  in  Africa,  can 
prevent  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  latter,  although 
on  account  of  such  pressure  the  process  may  be  se- 
riously retarded.  Unless,  therefore,  the  Kafir  can  be 
pushed  forward  by  those  methods  which  some  people 
choose  to  regard  as  somewhat  harsh,  and  by  virtue 
of  his  usefulness  can  command  the  careful  nurturing 
of  the  white  race  around  him,  his  contact  with  civil- 
ization must  result  to  his  detriment,  if  not  to  his 


THE  KACE  PROBLEM 


401 


eventual  destruction.  Left  in  idleness,  he  is  certain  to 
succumb  to  the  downward  pressure  of  his  environment. 
No  matter  how  stringent  may  be  the  laws  against  the 
sale  of  liquor,  so  long  as  money  can  be  made  from  it 
unprincipled  men  will  find  means  of  catering  to  the 
Kafir's  thirst.  So  long  as  the  Kafir's  thirst  can  be 
supplied,  his  weak  mind  and  feeble  will-power  will 
render  him  a  victim  to  that  curse  which  has  been 
mainly  instrumental  in  causing  the  disappearance  of 
the  Red  Indian  from  the  North  American  continent. 

Missionaries  hope  to  do  much  in  lifting  the  African 
from  his  present  state  of  degradation,  and  it  is  my 
sincere  wish  that  they  may  succeed  ;  but  let  no  one 
expect  to  change  his  mental  capacity  in  one  or  two 
generations.  A  long  period  of  time  is  required  to  ob- 
tain a  marked  improvement.  Removed,  as  is  the 
white  race,  centuries  beyond  the  stage  of  savagery,  the 
frequent  tendency  of  individuals  to  revert  to  that 
stage,  even  among  the  people  of  enlightened  nations, 
is  sufficient  to  prove  the  absurdity  of  the  expectation 
that  barbarians  can  quickly  be  transformed  into  intel- 
ligent, capable,  and  exemplary  human  beings.  Mis- 
sion work  is  at  best  a  slow  and  tedious  process,  for 
primitive  minds  require  much  development  before 
they  are  capable  of  grasping  the  philosophy  of  a  doc- 
trinal religion.  Therefrom  results  the  necessity  of 
beginning,  as  some  of  the  wisest  of  the  missionaries 
have  begun,  by  teaching  the  natives  manual  training 
and  useful  industries,  and  laying  to  one  side  the  hope 
of  accomplishing  rapid  transformation  in  the  line  of 
ethics  and  theology. 

Unfortunately,  the  lessons  of  every-day  life  sink 
more  deeply  into  the  mind  of  the  savage  than  do  the 
precepts  of  the  clergy,  and  the  native's  proneness  to 
take  up  with  the  worst  that  he  sees  about  him,  often 

26 


402  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIER 


results  in  the  undoing  in  a  single  day  of  the  noble 
work  of  many  years.  This  is  well  illustrated  by  a  lit- 
tle incident  which  occurred  during  the  Matabele  war. 
The  armory  sergeant  of  the  corps  to  which  I  belonged 
had  detailed  to  his  assistance  a  native  Mashona. 
With  the  usual  stupidity  of  such  servants,  the  Kafir 
persisted  in  doing  just  the  opposite  of  what  he  was 
told,  and  eventually  succeeded  in  so  annoying  his 
master  that  the  latter  reprimanded  him  with  a  vigor- 
ous kick.  The  boy  immediately  informed  his  baas 
that  if  he  persisted  in  ill-using  black  people  he  would 
go  ^'lapapansi  co  maninge  chesa"  (down  below  into 
the  big  fire),  while  all  the  Mashonas  who  remained 
good  would  ascend  at  death  "  pazulu  "  (to  the  sky). 

Grreatly  surprised  by  this  unexpected  outburst  of 
theology,  the  sergeant  inquired  who  had  been  his  in- 
structor. The  Mashona  pointed  across  the  laager  to  the 
chaplain.  Thereupon  it  was  elaborately  explained  to 
the  boy  that  the  chaplain,  while  yet  a  child  at  Kimber- 
ley,  had  cracked  his  skull  by  falling  off  a  horse  ;  that 
the  mishap  had  resulted  in  his  becoming  demented ; 
and  that  he  had  been  brought  with  the  expedition 
merely  to  keep  him  out  of  mischief.  As  a  proof  of  this 
the  sergeant  called  the  Kafir's  attention  to  the  fact 
that  the  parson  did  no  work  of  any  sort,  while  all  the 
other  members  of  the  force  were  continually  busy. 

The  explanation  met  with  the  boy's  approval,  and 
as  soon  as  his  task  was  completed  he  hastened  off  to 
inform  all  his  brother  Mashonas  that  the  "  umfundese" 
(missionary)  was  ^'  umtagati"  (a  crazy  man),  and  that 
all  those  men  who  go  about  preaching  of  a  place  up 
above  and  a  place  down  below  are  likewise  "umta- 
gati." Thus,  in  a  single  hour  was  undone  the  work 
of  many  months.  The  incident  teaches  the  striking 
moral  that  if  any  lasting  influence  is  to  be  exerted 


THE  RACE  PEOBLEM 


403 


over  the  aborigines  of  Africa,  it  will  depend  upon  the 
correct  ideas  and  sound  moral  principles  of  the  de- 
scendants of  the  aborigines  of  Europe,  with  whom 
the  former  come  in  daily  contact.  Therefore  to  neglect 
those  of  our  own  race,  as  is  so  frequently  done,  in 
over  solicitous  enthusiasm  for  the  redemption  of  a 
people  low  in  the  scale  of  progress,  must  inevitably 
defeat  the  great  object  to  which  many  worthy  men 
and  women  are  unselfishly  devoting  their  lives. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 


RHODESIA  TO-DAY 

The  Transformation  of  a  Wilderness — Sickness,  Pestilence,  and 
Massacre,  Factors  in  the  Settlement  of  a  New  Country 
— The  Advent  of  Women  and  Children — Pastimes  Dear 
to  the  British  Heart — Political  Agitation  and  Mr.  Rhodes's 
Visit — Government  of  Rhodesia — Central  Position — Gold- 
Producing  Capabilities — Agricultural  Resources  and  the 
Land  Question — Coal  and  Iron,  one  Measure  of  the 
Wealth  of  a  State — Rhodesia  an  Attractive  Field  for  Com- 
mercial Enterprise — England  as  a  Colonizing  Power — The 
Dark  Continent  the  Future  Scene  of  a  Prominent  Part 
of  the  World's  Drama. 

That  a  wilderness  in  the  heart  of  Africa  should  in 
less  than  one  decade  be  supplanted  by  all  the  con- 
veniences of  civilization,  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  our 
progressive  age.  In  the  year  1890  the  British  South 
Africa  Company  Pioneers  journeyed  by  ox-wagon 
nearly  one  thousand  miles  beyond  the  frontier  settle- 
ments of  the  Cape  Colony,  to  a  land  possessed  solely 
by  wild  beasts  and  menacing  savages.  To-day  we  find 
the  sturdy  Anglo-Saxon,  with  his  language,  laws,  cus- 
toms, and  "  modern  improvements,"  firmly  established 
in  that  region.  In  substantial  towns,  which  form  the 
centres  of  large  agricultural  and  mining  districts,  we 
find  churches,  schools,  libraries,  clubs,  the  Salvation 
Army,  daily  and  weekly  newspapers,  courts  of  jus- 

404 


EHODESIA  TO-DAY 


405 


tice,  jails — in  short,  all  the  components  of  modern 
civilization.  The  telegraph- wire  has  long  since  placed 
the  inhabitants  of  that  country  in  quick  communica- 
tion with  every  part  of  the  civilized  world,  while  rail- 
ways have  supplanted  ox-teams  and  native  porters  as 
a  means  of  transportation  to  the  Atlantic  and  Indian 
oceans. 

The  present  state  of  progress  has  not  been  attained 
without  the  sufferings  and  hardships  in  the  way  of 
sickness,  pestilence,  and  massacre  that  seem  to  be  un- 
avoidable in  the  settlement  of  new  countries.  These 
factors  have  brought  their  woes ;  but  by  the  improve- 
ment in  climatic  conditions  which  occupation  insures, 
by  the  better  supply  of  food  and  raiment  which  rail- 
ways guarantee,  by  protection  against  the  inclemency 
of  the  elements  obtained  through  the  erection  of  sub- 
stantial brick  buildings,  and  by  the  security  to  life 
and  property  resulting  from  the  successful  prosecu- 
tion and  termination  of  three  native  wars,  those  ills 
are  at  present  merel}^  data  for  pioneer  history.  The 
dangers  met,  the  sufferings  endured,  and  the  difficul- 
ties surmounted  by  the  pioneers  of  civilization,  have 
brought  prominently  into  the  foreground  that  deter- 
mination of  character  which  is  placing  the  best  por- 
tion of  the  earth's  surface  in  possession  of  the  most 
courageous  and  enlightened  of  the  world's  children. 

To  the  reader  who  still  thinks  of  South  Central 
Africa  as  an  inhospitable  wilderness,  habitable  for  no 
white  men  save  hunters,  traders,  and  missionaries,  be 
it  known  that  soon  after  the  opening  of  Rhodesia, 
plucky  European  women  quickly  found  their  way 
thither,  and  bore  their  share  of  the  burdens  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  new  country.  As  women  were  pro- 
hibited from  entering  Mashonaland  immediately  after 
occupation  by  the  Pioneers,  it  happened  that  the  first 


406  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

woman  who  entered  the  country,  the  wife  of  a  French 
count,  was  obliged  to  disguise  herself  in  men's  cloth- 
ing. During  the  following  year,  1891,  I  remember  see- 
ing donkey-carts  and  ox-wagons  coming  into  Salisbury 
with  the  heads  of  rosy-cheeked  children  peering  from 
behind  the  canvas  of  the  covered  vehicles ;  and  on 
several  occasions  I  observed  wives  of  settlers  wielding 
the  whip  in  driving  the  animals.  Numbers  of  healthy 
children  have  been  born  in  Rhodesia  to  European 
parents,  and  are  being  successfully  reared  and  edu- 
cated. 

As  a  relief  from  the  monotony  and  hardships  of  the 
pioneer  days,  the  inhabitants  of  Rhodesia  indulged  in 
many  of  the  pastimes  dear  to  the  British  heart.  The 
lovers  of  the  chase  found  ample  opportunity  for  the 
hunting  of  wild  animals.  At  a  surprisingly  early 
date  a  pack  of  English  fox-hounds  were  imported  ; 
and  at  the  proper  season  of  the  year  early  morning 
rides  across  country  were  frequent,  jackals  and  small 
antelopes  acting  as  substitutes  for  British  foxes. 
Athletic  sports,  such  as  cricket,  tennis,  foot-ball,  and 
polo,  and  cycling  as  well,  early  took  their  position  in 
the  community,  while  amateur  theatricals  and  Christie 
minstrels  were  at  intervals  indulged  in  for  the  benefit 
of  those  of  dramatic  inclinations.  The  women  worked 
nobly  in  instituting  church  bazaars  and  fairs  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  money  to  assist  in  the  support  of 
hospitals  and  other  public  enterprises — and  also  to 
make  the  men  feel  at  home !  In  due  season  the  in- 
habitants reached  a  height  of  giddiness  which  prompt- 
ed them  to  indulge  in  a  carnival. 

St.  Patrick's  and  St.  Andrew's  days  and  other  oc- 
casions of  equal  importance  were  appropriately  cele- 
brated by  smoking  concerts.  At  the  drinking  estab- 
lishments billiard-tables  early  made  their  appearance, 


RHODESIA  TO-DAY 


407 


thus  affording  another  popular  source  for  recreation. 
Nevertheless,  there  was  still  much  time  left  to  hang 
heavily  on  the  hands  of  not  a  few,  who  in  consequence 
indulged  in  excessive  drinking.  Through  this  ever- 
popular  avocation  many  a  good  man  squandered  his 
means,  when  by  leading  a  temperate  life  he  might  so 
have  disposed  of  his  money  in  promising  investments 
as  to  have  laid  the  foundation  for  an  independent 
fortune. 

As  Rhodesia  is  a  country  established  by  Englishmen, 
it  is  needless  to  say  that  horse-racing  was  one  of  the 
first  diversions  instituted.  With  the  laying  off  of 
each  of  the  various  towns,  an  excellent  race-track  was 
always  constructed,  and  as  soon  as  horses  could  be 
brought  into  the  country  and  put  into  training,  race- 
meetings  were  held.  Some  of  the  famous  horses  of 
the  early  days  were  Mintmark,  Pilot,  Unknown,  Com- 
mon, and  Bulawayo.  Even  the  old  Pioneer  horse, 
Bones,  had  his  day  at  hurdle-jumping.  At  Salisbury 
the  first  grand  stand  was  erected  of  poles  and  slabs, 
but  whatever  was  lacking  in  finish  of  surroundings  at 
that  first  meeting,  was  compensated  for  by  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  crowd  gathered  to  view  the  events  of 
the  day.  In  fact,  if  one  had  closed  his  eyes,  he  could 
almost  have  fancied  himself  at  any  great  English  race, 
for  there  were  echoed  the  voice  of  the  man  at  the 
fortune-wheel,  the  proprietor  of  the  under-and-over 
table,  the  bookmaker,  the  purveyor  of  refreshments, 
and  all  the  other  vocal  participants  in  a  properly  con- 
ducted occasion  of  that  sort.  How  characteristic  of 
those  British  colonizers  was  that  gathering  in  the 
wilderness  !  The  well-groomed  racers  came  flying 
down  the  home  stretch,  guided  by  professional  jockeys 
dressed  in  silk  jackets,  small  caps,  tightly  fitting 
breeches,  and  top-boots.    To  an  American  the  stiri-ing 


408 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIER 


scene  was  most  important  as  evidence  of  the  speed 
and  thoroughness  with  which  the  Englishman  settles 
down  and  makes  himself  at  home  in  a  new  country. 

Two  interesting  features  were  always  introduced 
toward  the  close  of  the  meeting,  namely,  the  shooting- 
race  and  the  menagerie-race.  The  former  invariably 
ended  in  much  amusement  for  the  crowd,  for  success 
did  not  belong  to  the  swift  of  foot,  but  to  the  horse 
best  trained  to  stand  fire  under  exciting  circumstances. 
At  several  stages  along  the  course  the  riders  were 
obliged  to  dismount,  leave  their  horses  standing  on 
the  race-track,  run  to  a  stated  place  several  yards 
away,  fire  three  blank  shots  from  a  rifle,  return  to  the 
horses,  mount,  and  ride  on.  Finally,  if  any  nags 
were  left  which  had  not  bolted  off  into  the  veld,  they 
were  ridden  down  the  home  stretch  to  the  goal.  There 
were  usually  a  number  of  entries,  and  often  the  fleet- 
est steeds  became  excited  and  fled,  leaving  the  race  to 
some  old  plug  that  could  scarcely  be  induced  to  move 
faster  than  a  walk. 

The  day's  sport  usually  ended  with  the  menagerie- 
race.  The  entries  in  this  included  creatures  of  all 
kinds,  such  as  dogs,  baboons,  cats,  monkeys,  and  even 
chickens.  Each  owner  accompanied  his  charge,  which 
was  usually  secured  by  a  string  around  its  neck  or 
leg.  The  animals  were  appropriately  handicapped, 
according  to  their  supposed  running  capabilities.  In 
the  October  race  of  1892,  the  writer  entered  a  fine 
thoroughbred  frog,  called  Mark  Twain.  The  other 
entries  in  the  contest  were  three  chameleons,  two  dogs, 
a  monkey,  a  cat,  a  goose,  and  another  frog.  At  the 
signal  to  start,  the  frogs  were  prodded  by  their  owners, 
and,  like  well-trained  racers,  they  leaped  straight  for- 
ward for  the  goal.  The  excitement  of  the  spectators 
became  so  intense,  that  they  could  not  be  restrained 


KHODESIA  TO-DAY 


409 


from  crowding  over  the  borders  of  the  track.  For 
awhile  tlie  race  was  even  between  the  two  frogs,  the 
other  animals  becoming  so  unruly  as  to  take  their 
course  in  every  direction  except  toward  the  goal.  At 
last  one  amphibian  foolishly  bolted  off  the  track,  and 
was  trampled  to  death  under  the  feet  of  the  crowd, 
thus  leaving  the  victory  to  Mark  Twain,  and  a  prize  of 
£5  to  his  owner. 

Although  Rhodesia  has  been  governed  up  to  the 
present  time  mainly  by  the  Chartered  Company's  Lon- 
don Board  of  Directors,  the  inhabitants,  like  those  of 
every  other  English-speaking  community,  have  never 
been  in  the  least  backward  in  dictating  the  course  that 
the  Government  should  pursue  with  regard  to  this 
measure  or  that.  Demonstrations  in  the  form  of  public 
meetings  have  taken  place  almost  from  the  date  of  the 
final  halting  of  the  Pioneers.  By  threatening  to  carry 
their  grievances  to  the  home  government,  the  people 
have  been  able  to  gain  their  points  in  all  cases  excejjt 
those  where  diplomatic  measures  were  resorted  to  on 
the  part  of  the  Chartered  Company's  officials,  or  when 
the  weakening  of  public  representatives  enabled  the 
Company  to  hold  its  ground. 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy  of  these  agitations  was 
instituted  in  1896,  which  in  its  results  demonstrates 
the  power  of  Africa's  greatest  statesman,  the  founder 
of  Rhodesia,  Mr.  Cecil  Rhodes.  At  that  date  the  chief 
grievance  was  regarding  the  tardiness  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Beira  Railway.  There  were  other  causes 
for  discontent ;  and  as  Mr.  Rhodes  was  booked  to  visit 
Salisbury  in  October,  enthusiastic  public  meetings  were 
convened,  at  which  orators  waxed  eloquent  in  de- 
nouncing the  current  status.  The  people  rose  in  their 
might,  and  formulated  documents  demanding  the  re- 
dress of  grievances,  all  of  which  were  to  be  presented 


410  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

to  Mr.  Rhodes  immediately  upon  his  arrival.  Unfort- 
unately, however,  as  the  illustrious  man  each  day  drew 
nearer,  resolutions  of  coercion  continually  weakened  ; 
and  by  the  time  he  had  reached  Rocky  Drift,  twenty- 
five  miles  from  Salisbury,  the  representatives  of  the 
public  were,  figuratively  speaking,  tumbling  over  one 
another  in  their  haste  to  meet  the  Father  of  Rhodesia, 
and  form  a  guard  of  honor  to  escort  him  into  the  cap- 
ital city  !  The  overawing  influence  of  the  colossus  be- 
came so  noticeable  on  the  day  before  his  appearance, 
that  "Skipper"  Hoste  was  heard  dryly  to  remark: 
Some  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  seem  to  be 
extraordinarily  busy  this  morning,  washing  out  their 
mouths  in  order  to  be  ready  to  lick  Rhodes' s  boots 
when  he  arrives."  Salisbury's  serio-comic  artist,  Mr. 
Alfred  Lyons,  of  The  Nugget^  grasped  the  drollery  of 
the  situation,  and  published  in  his  paper  appropriate 
cartoons  of  the  Reform  Deputation's  interview  with 
Mr.  Rhodes,  which  he  entitled  "The  Ideal"  and  ''The 
Real." 

This  exhibition  of  weakening  was  not  confined  to 
Rhodesia  alone ;  for  at  this  very  time  Mr.  Rhodes  was 
loudly  denounced  in  the  Cape  Colony  for  his  supposed 
connection  with  the  Jameson  raid — only  to  be  glori- 
ously feted  upon  his  arrival  in  Cape  Town.  A  some- 
what similar  change  of  attitude  was  noticeable  in  the 
British  press  a  few  weeks  later,  as  the  distinguished 
statesman  neared  the  shores  of  England.  More  than 
two  years  have  elapsed  since  coercive  measures  were 
mooted,  and  Mr.  Rhodes  still  remains  the  sturdy  pilot 
at  the  helm,  guiding  the  destiny  of  his  craft,  threat- 
ened political  upheavals  notwithstanding. 

Beyond  question,  mistakes  of  considerable  magni- 
tude have  been  made  by  the  Chartered  Company  in  its 
government  of  Rhodesia.    It  is  idle  to  expect  a  corpo- 


RHODESIA  TO-DAY 


411 


ration  to  rule  a  country  so  wisely  and  so  equitably 
that  tlie  interests  of  shareholders  and  settlers  will  never 
clash.  Moreover,  it  is  likely  that  there  have  been  de- 
veloped in  Rhodesia  no  more  imperfections  than  are 
common  to  the  first  nine  years  of  governmental  ex- 
periment in  every  new  country.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  British  South  Africa  Company  has  sup- 
plied the  capital  for  the  opening  of  a  wilderness,  a 
burden  which,  if  left  to  be  borne  by  the  settlers  alone, 
would  have  presented  difficulties  far  outbalancing  the 
inconveniences  to  which  they  have  been  subjected.  It 
seems  to  be  the  verdict  of  the  inhabitants  of  Rhodesia, 
as  well  as  of  others  who  are  in  a  position  to  judge, 
that  the  people  are  better  able  to  gain  any  desired 
change  under  the  present  system  than  they  would  be 
with  the  red  tape  inseparable  from  the  management 
of  a  crown  colony.  In  reality,  the  country  is  at  this 
writing  in  a  stage  of  transition  from  the  rule  of  the 
Chartered  Company  to  that  of  a  self-governing  colony. 
A  local  legislative  council  is  in  course  of  formation, 
four  of  the  representatives  of  which  are  elected  by 
public  ballot.  'No  small  amount  of  enthusiasm  has 
been  exhibited  on  the  part  of  the  citizens  in  the  exer- 
cise of  their  prerogatives,  and  we  can  rest  assured  that 
not  many  years  will  elapse  ere  the  establishment  of  a 
self-governing  colony  will  have  been  completed — a  col- 
ony which  is  destined  to  become  the  most  important 
province  in  South  Africa. 

There  are  many  reasons  for  predicting  the  future 
prominence  of  this  new  country.  First  comes  its  cen- 
tral position  as  compared  with  the  older  settled  parts 
of  Africa,  and  the  portions  of  Central  Africa  which  are 
soon  to  be  opened  to  the  civilization  of  the  world.  It 
is  the  centre  from  which  new  and  vast  schemes  of  Brit- 
ish occupation  and  development  are  putting  forth.  It 


412  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FEONTIEE 


is  the  base  of  operations,  and  the  rally ing-point  of  the 
new  forces  that  have  come  to  the  front  in  South  Af- 
rica, and  that  are  striding  quietly  and  steadily  north- 
ward. 

Among  those  who  have  resided  in  the  country  for  a 
considerable  length  of  time  there  is  no  misgiving  as  to 
its  gold-producing  capabilities.  For  my  own  part,  I 
do  not  predict  immediate  results  that  will  startle  the 
world  ;  but  that  the  yield  of  gold  will  be  steady,  long- 
continued,  and  remunerative,  the  explorations  thus  far 
made  amply  demonstrate.  In  the  vastness  of  its  min- 
eral area  it  is  perhaps  without  parallel,  but  as  in  the 
quartz-reefs  of  America  and  Australia,  the  gold  is  more 
or  less  erratic  in  its  occurrence.  Much  of  the  ore  is  of  a 
low  grade,  as  is  the  case  with  that  at  the  Rand,  and  at 
Juneau,  Alaska ;  but  with  the  new  and  cheap  meth- 
ods of  treating  such  ore,  good  results  will  be  obtained. 

The  alluvial  gold,  as  well  as  that  extracted  from 
the  surface  ore — factors  which  give  a  gold-field  its 
first  impetus,  and  supply  quick  returns  for  capital 
while  the  deep  levels  of  the  mines  are  being  developed 
— has  unfortunately  been  carried  away  in  ages  gone 
by.  Extensive  work,  therefore,  is  necessary  before 
milling  can  fairly  begin.  Of  course,  this  requires  the 
outlay  of  much  capital  for  machinery  and  labor.  Un- 
til the  advent  of  railways  the  importation  of  machin- 
ery was  too  difficult  and  expensive  for  conservative 
companies;  hence,  the  lack  of  cheap  transportation 
has  resulted  in  great  delay  in  the  mining  and  milling 
of  gold  on  an  extensive  scale. 

A  more  potent  factor  than  this,  however,  in  retard- 
ing the  production  of  gold,  has  been  the  operation  of 
the  speculative  rings  which  control  many  of  the  com- 
panies formed  to  explore  mineral  properties,  and  mere- 
ly seek  to  amass  fortunes  by  the  rise  and  fall  of  the 


EHODESIA  TO-DAY 


413 


London  share-market.  Fortunately,  there  is  a  limit  to 
gullibility,  even  of  the  British  public.  These  com- 
panies will  soon  be  obliged  to  turn  their  attention  to 
the  serious  development  of  the  rich  resources  which 
now  lie  fallow  in  their  possession,  and  to  gain  their 
profits  by  legitimate  methods.  Had  these  corpora- 
tions devoted  more  effort  to  the  promotion  of  railways 
and  the  reduction  of  freights,  and  less  to  the  manipu- 
lation of  the  share-market,  it  would  have  been  far  bet- 
ter for  Rhodesia.  As  with  every  other  gold-mining 
region,  many  of  the  mines  discovered  are  not  likely  to 
prove  of  value  ;  but  even  if  an  exceedingly  small  per 
cent,  of  the  innumerable  deposits  turn  out  to  be  pro- 
ductive, there  will  still  be  enough  to  give  Rhodesia  an 
enviable  position  among  the  gold-bearing  countries. 

In  view  of  the  vast  quantities  of  treasure  that  have 
been  taken  from  the  surface  of  these  gold-fields  by 
primitive  methods,  it  seems  almost  certain  that  untold 
millions  more  lie  beneath,  awaiting  the  rock-drill  and 
the  dynamite-cartridge.  At  present  no  one  can  say 
just  where  Rhodesia's  Comstock  lodes  are  situated, 
but  if  they  are  not  there,  their  absence  will  be  nothing 
short  of  miraculous.  It  is  my  firm  belief  that  this 
country  will  eventually  become  one  of  the  richest  gold- 
producing  regions  of  the  world  ;  but  whether  it  does 
or  not,  its  general  progress  will  ultimately  place  it 
foremost  among  the  South  African  states. 

In  agricultural  resources  Rhodesia  is  the  garden  of 
South  Africa.  It  is  capable  of  yielding  a  great  variety 
of  the  best  cereals,  vegetables,  and  fruits.  The  only 
thing  that  can  retard  its  agricultural  prosperity  will 
be  bad  handling  of  the  land  question  ;  that  is,  the  per- 
mitting of  large  tracts  of  valuable  land  to  remain 
locked  up  in  the  hands  of  syndicates,  instead  of  being 
cut  into  small  freeholds  for  settlement  by  immigrants 


414  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFKICAN  FRONTIER 

and  the  hona-fide  citizens  of  the  country.  Europe's 
overcrowded  millions  must  find  new  fields  for  their  la- 
bor. Conditions  are  changing,  and  the  day  seems  not 
far  distant  when  America  will  no  longer  be  a  land  to 
which  hundreds  of  thousands  can  immigrate  annually. 
Already  we  are  reaching  that  state  of  social  progress 
when  our  own  people  must  look  to  foreign  countries 
for  room  in  which  to  expand. 

The  Trans-Continental  Kailway  which  will  be  con- 
structed between  Cairo  and  Cape  Town  will  furnish  a 
quick  and  cheap  means  of  transportation,  and  the 
offering  of  homes  is  likely  to  attract  throngs  of  the 
best  emigrants  from  Europe.  South  America  may 
attempt  to  rival  Africa,  but  its  insecure  government 
and  bad  land  laws  are  at  present  a  check  to  immigra- 
tion in  that  direction,  and  the  tide  will  more  likely 
turn  to  the  stable  government  which  will  obtain  under 
the  British  in  Africa.  With  an  intelligent  self-gov- 
erning people,  land  laws  are  certain  to  be  enacted 
which  will  accrue  to  the  welfare  of  the  country. 

One  measure  of  the  wealth  of  a  state  is  its  supply  of 
coal  and  iron  ;  and  these  we  find  in  abundance  in 
Rhodesia.  In  coal,  iron,  gold,  fertile  soil,  and  a  fairly 
good  climate  we  have  all  the  materials  for  an  empire. 
The  people  who  created  the  United  States  had  little 
more.  Rhodesia  will  be  first  a  great  mining  country. 
Next,  in  order  to  feed  its  people,  it  must  and  will  be 
developed  as  an  agricultural  country  ;  and  eventually 
it  will  manufacture  everything  that  can  be  made  from 
its  natural  products. 

For  many  years  to  come  Rhodesia  will  be  an  at- 
tractive field  for  commercial  enterprise.  To  Ameri- 
cans its  future,  with  the  attendant  commercial  possi- 
bilities, is  fraught  with  more  than  common  interest. 
To  manufacturers  of  mining  and  milling  machinery 


RHODESIA  TO-DAY 


415 


it  must  become  an  El  Dorado.  Skilful  mining  engi- 
neers will  there  find  ample  scope  for  the  pursuit  of 
their  profession,  while  with  the  spread  of  the  English 
language,  and  the  establishment  of  Anglo-Saxon  laws 
and  customs,  will  go  a  demand  for  such  products  of 
civilization  as  America  stands  pre-eminent  in  her  abil- 
ity to  manufacture.  Even  to-day  American  trade  with 
South  Africa  is  of  no  small  importance,  and  with  the 
advancement  of  Rhodesia  the  possibilities  in  that  di- 
rection will  be  greatly  augmented.  Not  many  months 
ago  appeared  in  the  Rhodesia  Herald  this  significant 
paragraph : 

''There  is  little  wonder  that  the  English  are  con- 
cerned about  foreign  competition.  If  anyone  will  take 
the  trouble  to  look  at  the  household  ironmongery 
which  Mr.  Carter  has  brought  back  with  him  from  the 
States,  and  contrast  the  efficiency,  soundness,  labor- 
savingness,  variety,  and  artistic  finish  of  the  Ameri- 
can articles  with  the  ugly  Home  rubbish  to  which  we 
have  been  accustomed,  he  will  see  the  reason  for 
anxiety.  Even  an  American  door-hinge  puts  to  the 
blush  an  English  one.  We  should  also  advise  people 
to  contrast  any  American  lock  with  the  vile  rim  locks, 
and  scarcely  better  mortise  locks,  with  which  most  of 
us  for  years  have  had  to  furnish  our  houses.  And  as  we 
do  not  like  to  see  supremacy  leaving  our  own  Mother 
Country,  we  hope  the  good  manufacturers  of  Birming- 
ham may  see  our  little  paragraph,  and  ponder."  * 

^  Since  this  paragraph  was  written,  the  following  important  observa- 
tions bearing  upon  the  same  subject  have  been  published  by  Mr.  Henry- 
Norman  in  the  July,  1898,  number  of  McClure's  Magazine  : 

"  The  observant  visitor  to  America  must  be  impressed  first  with  the  re- 
markable development  of  what  may  be  called  applied  intelligence.  Not 
only  is  there  an  extraordinary  fertility  of  invention,  but  also,  what  is  per- 
haps more  striking  still,  there  is  apparently  an  instant  readiness  on  every- 
body's part  to  make  use  of  the  things  invented     In  Europe,  when  we  have 


416 


ON  THE  SOUTH  AFiRICAN  FRONTIER 


Beyond  all  question  it  is  to  the  interest  of  America 
and  Americans  that  the  British  should  expand  in  Af- 
rica. As  a  colonizing  power,  England  stands  supreme ; 
and  she  should  be  encouraged  in  the  acquisition  of 
African  territory,  to  which  she  is  entitled  by  the  right 
of  her  ability  properly  to  utilize  and  justly  to  govern. 
The  European  powers  are  bitter  in  their  denunciation 
of  the  British  in  their  greed  for  dominion,  and  in  their 

a  certain  '  fitment '  in  house  or  office  that  serves  its  purpose  well,  we  are 
satisfied  with  it  and  go  on  with  our  work.  If  anybody  comes  along  with 
something  rather  better,  we  look  upon  him  as  a  nuisance.  The  thing  we 
have  is  quite  good  enough.  In  America  it  seems  that  a  man  will  try  an 
object  one  day  and  throw  it  away  the  nezt  for  something  a  trifle  more  con- 
venient or  expeditious.  From  visit  to  visit,  for  example,  I  have  observed 
a  constant  improvement  in  the  telephone.  The  instrument  has  grown 
smaller,  neater,  more  graceful,  simpler,  and  easier  to  use.  As  it  stands 
on  an  American  desk  to-day,  it  might  be  a  flower-holder.  In  some  of  the 
best  and  most  expensive  parts  of  London  to-day  you  cannot  have  a  tele- 
phone put  in  your  house  at  all.  When  you  do,  it  is  the  ugly  box  arrange- 
ment of  ten  years  ago.  I  called  upon  a  journalistic  friend  in  New  York. 
Upon  his  desk  stands  an  elegant  little  apparatus  through  which  he  con- 
verses every  afternoon  with  Washington  and  Chicago.  In  a  London 
newspaper  office  you  might  as  well  look  for  a  machine  for  making  liquid 
air.  The  street-cars  are  another  example.  When  I  was  here  a  short  time 
ago,  the  system  of  traction  Avas  by  underground  cable.  This  is  already 
apparently  becoming  extinct.  The  cars  themselves,  too,  are  often  marvels 
of  comfort  and  light.  In  London  there  is  not  so  far  as  I  know,  a  single 
street-car  propelled  by  any  mechanical  means,  and  they  are  the  dim  and 
dirty  vehicles  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  It  is  impossible  to  imagine 
a  better  system  of  street  transport  than  prevails,  for  instance,  in  Washing- 
ton. Even  the  travelling  post-office  runs  by  electricity  along  the  tracks. 
Another  striking  example  is  builders'  hardware.  Locks,  hinges,  sash- 
pulleys,  window-fasteners,  bath-fittings,  and  the  like  are  years  ahead  of  us. 
There  is  not  a  hotel  in  Europe — I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  private  house — 
in  which  these  things  are  as  graceful  and  serviceable  as  they  are  at  the 
hotel  where  I  stayed  in  New  York.  On  this  visit  I  noticed  a  new  fitting 
on  the  wall  of  the  bathroom.  It  was  an  electric  heater  for  curling-irons  ! 
To  you  this  perhaps  seems  a  very  ordinary  kind  of  thing.  I  stood  before  it 
in  amazement.  Or  take  what  you  call  elevators  and  we  call  lifts.  We  are 
in  the  dark  ages  still.    There  is  not  a  building  in  London,  indeed  not  in 


RHODESIA  TO-DAY 


417 


metliods  of  acquiring  possessions,  although  similar 
methods  are  usually  approved  by  them  when  put  into 
execution  by  other  nations  than  the  English.  For  my 
own  part,  I  do  not  see  that  one  European  power  has 
any  less  of  an  itching  for  territorial  dependencies  than 
another ;  nor  do  I  see  that  one  is  more  scrupulous  than 
another  in  its  mode  of  obtaining  new  domains.  Eng- 
land is  brought  into  prominence  by  the  fact  that  she 
is  securing  the  more  valuable  portions  of  the  globe, 

Europe,  constructed  with  the  ingenuity,  the  convenience,  the  elegance  of 
some  of  the  ncAv  big  buildings  on  Broadway.  I  happen  to  be  interested 
at  this  moment  in  house-building ;  therefore  I  am  taking  home  a  supply 
of  small  objects  and  a  collection  of  catalogues  of  every  kind.  The  farm 
offers  another  set  of  examples.  Since  in  England  our  farms  are  compar- 
atively small,  and  the  competition  of  the  Western  prairie  and  Russian 
steppe  and  Argentine  plain  is  ruining  us,  it  is  obvious  that  we  should  fol- 
low intensive  cultivation  and  employ  every  possible  appliance  to  get  more 
and  cheaper  produce  from  the  land.  The  facts  are  the  exact  opposite. 
American  agricultural  machinery  has  revolutionized  farming  for  you. 
We  stand  virtually  where  we  did  twenty-five  or  fifty  years  ago.  Every 
English  farm -laborer  believes  that  hedgehogs  suck  cows.  My  own  man 
suffocates  his  bees  at  the  end  of  each  season,  because  he  says  they  get  lazy 
and  are  not  worth  keeping.  The  most  convenient  implement  I  own  is  an 
American  horse-hoe.  Cut  green  bones  form  one  of  the  valuable  foods 
for  poultry.  There  is  not,  to  the  best  of  my  belief,  a  green-bone  cutter  in 
the  United  Kingdom.    I  have  just  ordered  one  in  Massachusetts. 

"  These  are  trifling  matters,  if  you  will;  but  they  are  extremely  signifi- 
cant, and  the  same  considerations  apply  in  every  direction.  The  English 
bicycle-makers  tell  you  that  a  machine  weighing  less  than  thirty  pounds  is 
not  really  safe.  I  am  a  fairly  heavy  man,  and  I  have  ridden  for  three 
years  a  Columbia  weighing  twenty-five  pounds,  at  all  seasons  and  on  all 
kinds  of  roads,  and  the  first  accident  or  breakage  has  yet  to  happen  to  it. 
American  heavy  electrical  machinery  is  going  all  over  the  world,  Amer- 
ican locomotives  are  beating  British  ones  in  foreign  markets.  American 
mining  machinery  has  long  been  without  a  rival.  Naturally,  it  is  not 
agreeable  for  me,  as  an  Englishman,  to  chronicle  these  facts ;  and,  of 
course,  in  other  directions  and  enterprises  the  British  manufacturer  still 
beats  the  world.  But  I  hold  it  to  be  a  patriotic  duty  to  warn  my  fellow- 
countrymen  that  they  must  alter  their  methods  and  make  new  and  different 
efforts  if  they  are  to  hold  their  own  in  the  future." 
27 


418  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FRONTIER 

thus  causing  consternation  and  jealousy  among  her 
rivals.  Every  part  of  Africa  is  certain  to  come  under 
the  control  of  one  or  another  of  the  European  states, 
hence,  before  condemning  England's  policy  of  ex- 
pansion, we  should  consider  what  flag  will  yield  the 
greatest  good  to  mankind.  With  British  rule  in  Af- 
rica come  equal  privileges  and  justice  to  men  of  every 
nationality.  The  Portuguese  are  antagonistic  to  all 
except  those  of  their  own  blood,  a  characteristic  which 
is  also  true  of  the  French,  the  Belgians,  the  Boers,  and 
the  Germans.  Furthermore,  we  should  inquire  what 
the  nations  are  doing  to  develop  the  resources  of  their 
African  possessions.  With  the  exception  of  England, 
practically  nothing !  Although  the  French  have  no 
surplus  population  with  which  to  colonize,  they  first 
open  their  gold-fields  to  Frenchmen  only.  Germany' s 
rich  mineral  and  agricultural  territory  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Victoria  Nyanza  and  Lake  Tanganyika  is 
lying  fallow  for  the  want  of  a  railway  from  the  coast, 
the  building  of  which  was  opposed  in  the  German 
Parliament  on  the  ground  that  it  would  not  pay  divi- 
dends. The  Portuguese  have  practically  nothing  to 
show  for  their  four  hundred  years  of  African  occupa- 
tion, except  the  record  of  the  facts  that  great  wealth 
was  taken  from  the  country,  and  that  their  territories 
drifted  again  into  the  hands  of  savages. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  find  England  and  the  English 
expending  millions  in  the  opening  and  developing  of 
new  territories,  and  that  witli  small  hope  of  immediate 
returns  from  investments.  With  the  advance  of  Gen- 
eral Kitchener's  army  in  Lower  Egypt,  a  railway  has 
been  pushed  forward  which  will  soon  reach  Khartum, 
while  the  British  Parliament  is  building  a  road  from 
the  African  east  coast  to  Uganda.  In  Eastern  Rhode- 
sia the  Mashonaland  Railway  is  nearing  Salisbury. 


RHODESIA  TO-DAY 


419 


November  4,  1897,  saw  the  arrival  of  the  Bechuana- 
land  Kailvray  at  Bulawayo  ;  and  still  more  recently 
two  million  pounds  sterling  have  been  advanced  in 
London  for  the  purpose  of  its  continuation  northward 
to  Lake  Tanganyika.  The  Trans-Continental  tele- 
graph line  is  far  beyond  Blantyre,  on  its  way  "from 
Cape  Town  to  Cairo,"  and  the  present  indications  are 
that  the  capital  is  certain  soon  to  be  guaranteed  for 
the  completion  of  the  great  trunk  line  of  railway 
which  will  bind  Egypt  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Thus  are  being  created — actually  with  astonishing 
rapidity — the  great  instruments  which  will  foster  the 
innumerable  smaller  enterprises  undertaken  in  the 
development  of  the  rich  regions  in  the  interior. 

In  view  of  the  active  agencies  which  are  thus  at 
work,  there  can  be  no  question  as  to  future  race  suprem- 
acy in  Africa.  The  Transvaal  may  or  may  not  become 
de  facto  a  British  possession ;  but  that  the  Anglo-Saxon 
will  gain  the  supremacy  there  is  inevitable.  The  spirit 
of  commercial  enterprise  of  which  Mr.  Rhodes  is  the 
living  type,  and  which  is  sweeping  from  the  south  over 
the  Dark  Continent,  is  certain  to  revolutionize  all  the 
old  conditions.  The  sturdy  Dutch  blood  firmly  estab- 
lished on  African  soil  will  serve  as  an  important  ele- 
ment for  good  in  the  development  of  that  continent ; 
but  the  English  are  rapidly  outstripping  the  Boers, 
and  the  laws  and  customs  of  the  former  will  soon  gain 
the  ascendency.  Even  the  Dutch  language  which 
seems  so  tenaciously  rooted  in  South  Africa  will,  in 
all  probability,  lose  its  popularity  with  the  newer 
and  more  enlightened  generations,  and  eventually  give 
way  to  the  English  tongue,  except  in  secluded  rural 
districts. 

It  is  foreordained  that  the  British  are  to  wield  a 
gigantic  influence  in  the  future  development  of  Africa. 


420  ON  THE  SOUTH  AFEICAN  FRONTIEK 

The  heroic  fidelity  with  which  the  missionaries  are 
working  among  the  aborigines,  ought  to  bring  about 
the  rapid  advancement  of  the  native  tribes ;  but  in- 
finitely more  potent  than  the  noble  philanthropy  of 
the  missionary,  as  a  factor  in  moulding  the  future  of 
races  for  good  or  for  evil,  is  the  active  commercial 
spirit  which  now  pervades  the  world.  To  this,  and  to 
the  inevitable  laws  which  impel  a  people  of  high  in- 
telligence to  work  for  their  self-preservation,  must  we 
trust  for  the  future  of  both  whites  and  blacks. 

Since  the  North  American  Continent  is  narrowing 
as  an  outlet  for  the  overcrowded  countries  of  Europe, 
it  is  no  idle  dream  to  predict  that  with  the  attractions 
of  climate,  soil,  and  mineral  wealth,  and  cheap  and 
quick  methods  of  transportation,  the  tide  of  migration 
will  soon  begin  to  flow  to  the  Dark  Continent,  where 
a  prominent  part  of  the  world's  drama  is  likely  to  be 
enacted  during  the  coming  century.  The  native  races 
may  awaken  from  the  lethargy  in  which  they  have 
been  sleeping  for  more  than  five  thousand  years  ;  but 
the  transformations  which  civilization  enforces  will 
probably  be  too  rapid  for  them  ;  and  before  the  new 
order  of  things  they  are  more  likely  to  vanish  than 
to  remain.  Be  the  question  of  the  future  of  the 
aborigines  what  it  may,  it  will  be  as  easy  to  check  the 
flow  of  the  Zambesi  River  as  to  change  the  course  of 
those  events  which  the  spirit  of  the  age  is  forcing  for- 
ward, and  which  decrees  that  South  and  Central  Africa 
shall  become  a  great  English-speaking  country.  In  the 
mature  and  rounded  development  of  this  new  empire 
will  be  completed  one  step  more  toward  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  destiny  for  which  Providence  seems 
to  have  chosen  the  Anglo-Saxon  race— the  wielding  of 
the  balance  of  power  for  the  world. 


INDEX 


Africa,  first  impressions  of,  3 

South,  situation  in,  in  1890,  43-45 
West  Coast  of.  Eclipse  Expedition 
to,  1-11,  37-47 
Alderson,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  363,  378, 
383 

*  Alexander,  3Ir.,  159 

Alice  mine,  party  take  refuge  at, 
during  Mashona  rising,  351-359 

Amalosa,  the.  259-260 

Andrada,  Colonel,  164 

Angola,  Portuguese  Province  of,  cap- 
ital of,  7-9 

Angwa  River,  hunting  near,  222-339 

Ant-heaps,  near  Orange  River,  50 ; 
near  Crocodile  River,  70 ;  on 
Mashonaland  plateau,  106 

"Arlington  Heights,''  author's  farm 
near  Salisbury,  318 

Babian,  Matabele  chief,  85 
Baboons,   living    among    rocks  near 
Banyai  natives,  84,  85;  nightly 
howling,  70,  86 
Baines,  Mr.  Thomas,  264-265 
Baines's  camp,  71 

Baker,  Salisbury,  escapade  of,  on 
Christmas-day,  289-290 

Balfour,  Canon,  111 

Bamangwatos,  two  hundred  join 
Pioneer  Expedition,  76;  assis^t 
at  scouting,  83  ;  assist  at  road- 
making,  90 ;  religions  fervor, 
91-92  ;  cause  an  alarm,  96-97 

Banks,  Mr.,  90 

Banyai  villages,   83-85,  87 ;  disaster 

predicted  by,  89 
Baobab-trees,  3,  7 
Batlapin  tribe,  61 


Beal,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Robert,  324, 
336,  371 

Bechuanaland  Border  Police,  63,  273 

*  Behr,  Mr.,  vivisected  by  Mashonas, 

365 

Beira,  301-303 

Railway,  twelve  miles  complet- 
ed, 240  ;  terminus,  297-298 ; 
journey  over,  298-300 ;  agitation 
over  tardy  construction,  319,  409 

Beit,  Mr.,  173 

Bembesi  River,  battle  near,  275 
Bengo  River,  13 

*  Bent,  Mr.  Theodore,  257 
Biltong,  122,  131 

Bird,  Mr.,  161 
Birds,  African,  59 
*Birkley,  Mr.,  158-159 
Biscoe,  Lieutenant,  111 
*Blakiston,  Mr.,  352-354,  363 
"  Blue  ground,"  52 

Bluejackets,  droUery,  54  ;  hold  a  "sing 
song,"  67;  as  bullock  drivers, 
133 

Boars,  wild,  killing  fine  specimens  of, 
169-170 

Boers,  threatened  trek  into  Mashona- 
land  by,  175 ;  Mosilikatse's  army 
defeated  by,  263  ;  at  Enkel- 
doorn,  325,  364,  365 

Porer,  the,  316 

*  Borrow,  Lieutenant,  76,  108,  146 
Bowen,  Mr. ,  98 

Brabant,  Captain,  management  of 
Victoria  natives,  387-388 

Branding  cattle,  African  method  of, 
60 

Brindled  gnu,  on  Mashonaland  pla- 
teau, 101 


423 


INDEX 


British  South  Africa  Company,  events 
leading  to  organization  of,  44- 
45,  261-265 ;  mining  licenses  is- 
sued by,  119-120;  efforts  to  in- 
duce merchants  to  move  from 
Kopje  to  Causeway,  240 ;  Ma- 
shonaland  public  demand  state- 
ment from,  with  regard  to  sub- 
jugating Matabeles,  268-269 

Brown,  Arthur  Houston,  2,  11,  23,  27- 
31,  39 

Buffalo  himting,  near  the  Mombi 
River,  180-181 ;  near  the  Angwa 
River,  233-234,  237-239;  near 
Umboe's,  278-279,  282-283 

Bulawayo,  Dr.  Jameson's  column  takes 
possession  of,  275 ;  founding  of 
new,  276;  new,  and  its  sur- 
roundings, 341 ;  Matabeles  raise 
siege  of,  342 

Bultfontem  diamond  mine,  51,  53 

Bululu,  threatened  by,  and  his  follow- 
ers, 241-243 ;  difficulty  arising 
from  visit  to  kraal  of,  244-246 

*  Burnett,  Captain  Edward,  106,  271, 

272 

Burton,  Mr.,  353,  356,  361 
Bush-pig,  228 
Butcher,  Mr.,  122 
Buzzards  eating  antelope,  233 

Cacoaco,  12,  13 

*  Campbell,  Captain,  287 

Mr.  Alexander  Duncombe,  81,  82, 

258 

Cape  Ledo,  10 

Town,  38-43,  47 

Carrington,  Major-General  Sir  Fred- 
erick, as  commander  of  Bechu- 
analand.  Border  Police,  63 ;  at 
Mafeteng,  93  ;  as  commander  of 
forces  in  Matabele  campaign,  342 

*  Cass,  Mr.,  351,  352,  383 

Mrs. ,  353,  355 
Causeway,  a  section  of  Salisbury,  240 
^  Chaka,  Zulu  king,  262 
Charter,  Fort,  1 10 


Chartered  Company.  See  British  South 
Africa  Company 

Chatelain,  Mr.  Heli,  11,  18 

Cheetahs,  102-104,  110 

Chemin  de  Fer  Royal  Trans- Africain, 
11,  12,  15 

Chimoia,  odd  characters  at,  294-297 

Chishawasha,  Salisbury  column  or- 
dered to  advance  on,  368 
battle,  370,  371 

Christian,  Mr.,  366 

Christmas  Pass,  view  from,  294 

Christofison,  Mr.,  his  night  with  lions, 
138  ;  author  guest  of,  160 

*  Churchill,  Lord  Randolph,  173-174 
Clancy,   Mr.  J.,  11,   20,  25-27,  33, 

35,  37 

*  Clark,  Mr.,  326-337 

Coanza  River,  Fort  Muxima  on,  10; 
hippopotami  near,  19 

*  Colquhoun,  Mr.,  158-159 

Mr.  A.  R.,  Administrator  of 
Mashonaland,  accompanies  Pio- 
neer Expedition,  85 ;  visits 
Umtasa,  106,  164 

Concession  Hill  District,  discovery  of, 
141 ;  author  prospects  in,  149 

Congo  River,  7 

Coryndon,  Mr.  R.  T.,  fired  at  by  na- 
tives, 283  ;  appearance  of  rinder- 
pest reported  by,  320 ;  leads 
scouts  against  Sejoke's  strong- 
hold, 365-366 

Cowie,  Mr.,  90,  98,  105 

Cressy,  Mr.,  343-344 

Crocodile,  author's  attempt  to  buy  a, 
14-15 ;  woman  taken  by  a,  34- 
35 ;  killing  a,  148 
River,  Pioneers  reach,  70 ;  Boers 
checked  at,  175 

Crocodiles,  negroes'  method  of  captur- 
ing, 13-14  ;  condemned  witches 
eaten  by,  23  ;  frightening  away, 
90 

Daignault,  Rev.  Father,  views  on 
native  labor  question,  394 


•  Deceased. 


INDEX 


423 


Damira's  kraal,  set  out  on  hunting-trip 
from,  277  ;  specimens  carried  to, 
282 

Darling,  Mr.  J.  ffolliott,  description 
of  the  escape  from  Mazoe,  351- 
363 

Dawson,  Mr.  James,  130 
"Deacon  of  Hong  Kong,"  294-297 
"Dead-relative  dances,"  217-220 
De  Beers  diamond  mine,  53 

Diamond  Mining  Company,  53,  54 
Delagoa  Bay,  303 

Dennison,  Mr.,  farmer  near  Umtali, 
295 

Diamond  mining,  53-54 

Diamonds,  South  Africa  noted  for,  44 

Dichwe,  231 

*  Dickinson,  Mr.,  351-352,  363 

Mrs.,  353j  355 
"  Disputed  territory,"  72 
Dougherty,  Mr.  J.  A.,  11,  34,  37 
"Downfall  of  Lo  Bengula,"  by  Wills 
and  Collin  gridge,  276 
Drifts,"  80 
Drinkers,  effect  of  malarial  fever  on, 
187 

Drinking  bout  at  Hartley,  182-187 
Durban,  303 

Du  Toits  Pan  diamond  mine,  53 

Eclipse,  the,  27-28 

Expedition,  1-47  ;  author  invited 

to  join,  1  ;  preparation  for,  2  ; 

change  of  plans,  10  ;  Director 

of,  10 
Edgehill,  Mr.,  83 

Eiffel  district,  visiting  the,  150-152; 
prospecting  in  the,  156-158 ; 
hunting  in,  170-172 

Eland,  hunting,  231-233  ;  fine  speci- 
men of,  obtained,  1 71 

Elephants,  holes  dug  by,  83 

Elmina,  6,  7 

Enkeldoorn,  Mr.  Rhodes  received  by 
Boers  at,  325  ;  Boers  in  laager  at, 
325,  364-365 

Euphorbias,  12-13,  19 


Eyre,  Mr.  Arthur,  a  hunting  trip  with, 
226-239  ;  author  visits  Bululu 
with,  241 

*  Eyre,  Mr.  Herbert,  226-239,  271,  363 

Fairbridge,  Mr.  W.  E.,  168 
Fairburn,  Mr.,  351-352,  356 
Farming,  author's  experience  at,  304- 

307,  317-318 
Farms,  African,  58-60 
*Faule,  Mr.,  352 

Field-rats  as  food  of  Mashonas,  107, 
349 

Filabusi  River,  Zimbabwe  ruins  on, 
261 

*  Finucane,  Mr.  E.  (Tim),  coach  for 

walking  match,  62-63 ;  chosen 
as  scout,  271 
Fire,  primitive  method  of  making,  155- 
156 

Fitzpatrick,  Mr.,  295-296,  367 

Fleming,  Dr.  A.  M.,  378 

Fletcher,  Mr.,  108-109 

Floating  Islands,  at  mouth  of  Congo,  7  ; 
in  lagoons,  19 

"  Fly  country,"  144 

Fontesvilla,  300-301 

"  Foot  and  mouth  disease,"  223 

Forbes,  Major  P.  W.,  commander  of 
B  Troop  of  Police,  76  ;  in  Manica- 
land,  164-165;  Salisbury  Horse 
organized  by,  269,  271-272 ;  com- 
mander of  troops  in  first  Matabele 
war,  273 

Fort  Charter,  110 
Muxima,  10 

Salisbury,  founding  of,  111-112 ; 
return  to,  159-160;  progress  at, 
161-163 

San  Miguel,  7 

Tuli,  162 

Victoria,  101 
*Frazer,  "Jock,"  138-139 
Free  Town,  3-6 
Frost,  Mr.,  113,  117 
Funeral  rites,  of  Cunga  natives,  35 

of  Mashonas,  216-317 


424 


INDEX 


Game,  on  Gwibi  Flats,  114-117;  vi- 
tality displayed  by,  134 ;  plenti- 
ful in  Eiffel  district,  170-171; 
list  of  killed  in  six  weeks  on  the 
Angwa,  239 ;  on  Pungwe  flats, 
300 
pits,  104-105 

Gifford's  Horse,  341 

Gold,  South  Africa  noted  for,  44 
Coast,  6 

fever,   author    seized  with,  125, 

126,  142-146,  148-158 
fields,  the  first  discovered,  119 ; 

rush  to,  121 
miners,  prehistoric,  probable  origin 

of,  256-257,  260 
mines,  ancient,  141-143,  145,  149, 

235 

mining,    excitement    over,  122 
prehistoric  indications  of,  135 

*Goode,  Prof.  G.  Brown,  1;  letter 
from,  77-78 

Goold-Adams,  Colonel,  273-275 
Gouveia,  Senhor,  164 

"Government"  of  Mashonaland,  119. 
See  British  South  Africa  Com- 
pany and  Chartered  Company 

^  Grady,  Mr.,  and  family,  249-250 

Great  Marico  River,  262 

Griffiths,  Mr.,  105 

Grysbuck,  40 

Guidzema,  134-135 

Gulf  of  Guinea,  6 

Gwelo,  arrival  of  Salisbury  column  at, 
329 ;  people  in  laager  at,  329-330 ; 
scouts  return  to,  332 

Gwibi  Flats,  114 

River,  114,  115, 117,  362 

Hampden,  Mount,  114,  117 

Hanford,  Captain  F.,  3 

Hanyani  River,  wagons  outspanned 

at,  159;  search  for  Wambe  at, 

247 

*'  Harnessed  "  antelope,  secured  on  Co- 

anza  River,  33 
Harris,  Dr.,  174 


Hartley,  excitement  at,  over  gold,  122 ; 
community  of  prospectors  at, 
141 ;  provisions  at,  158 ;  un- 
healthf ulness  of,  178-179 ;  drink- 
ing bout  at,  182-187  ;  first  mas- 
sacres of  Mashona  rising  at,  358 

Hartz  River,  60 

Hawes,  Mr.  John,  148-158 

Heany,  Captain  M.  B.,  67,  130 

Hex  River  Mountains,  49 

Hey  man,  Captain,  commander  of  A 
Troop  of  Police,  76  ;  his  fight  at 
Massi  Kessi,  166 

Hippopotami,  lagoons  inhabited  by,  19; 
hunting,  28-33 ;  securing  for 
specimens,  and  skinning,  89-90 

Holland,  Dr.  W.  J.,  1 

Hollis,  Captain  G.  F.,  45 

Honey  birds,  144-145,  148 

Horse-racing,  in  Rhodesia,  407-408 

"Horse-sickness,"  effects  of,  86-87; 
in  Rhodesia,  314 

Horsley,  Dr.  Victor,  397 

Hoste,  Major  H.  F.,  captain  of  B 
Troop,  67 ;  author's  party  taken 
for  Matabeles  by,  82;  leads 
attack  on  Matabeles  near  Gwelo, 
338 

Hottentots  at  Cape  Town,  42 

*  Hunter,  Mr.,  161 

Hyenas,  nightly  howling  of,  75,  86,  102 
*'  laughing,"    annoyed   by,  124, 
125 

Impala  antelope,  description  of,  126 
Indian  Ocean,  view  of,  302 
Ingesi  River,  88 

Iron  Mine  Hill,  Salisbury  and  Victoria 
columns  to  join  at,  272-273 

Jackals,  nightly  howling  of,  75 

*  Jacobs,  Mr.,  361 
Jacoby,  Prof.  L.  H.,  47 

Jameson,  Dr.  L.  S.,  accompanies  B 
Troop  while  road-making.  79-83  ; 
sets  out  to  visit  Umtasa,  106; 
interviews    Umtasa,   164 ;  in- 


•  Deceased. 


INDEX 


425 


Bpects  Eiffel  reef,  172;  begins 
duties  of  Administrator,  170; 
smoking  concert  for  Mashona- 
land  Horse  given  by,  245,  246 ; 
quiets  a  mob,  354  ;  confers  with 
Matabele  chiefs,  267 ;  director 
of  expedition  to  Matabelelaud, 
273 

Jameson  raid,  preparations  for,  319  ; 
Rhodesia's  prosperity  termi- 
nated with,  319  ;  influence  upon 
Matabele  revolt,  323-324 

*  Jameson,  Mr.  Robert,  151 
Jesuit  mission  farm,  363,  367 
Jesuits,   prepare  for  defense  against 

rising,  36S ;  attacked  by  Ma- 
shonas,  369 

Johannesburg,  64-65 

Johnson,  Heany,  and  Borrow,  Messrs. , 
Pioneers  sign  contract  with,  48  ; 
buildings  erected  by,  119  ;  lend 
wagons  to  Pioneers,  120 ;  huts 
of  men  employed  by,  130  ;  pros- 
pectors for,  141 
Major  Frank,  promises  facilities 
for  collecting,  46 ;  commands 
Pioneer  Corps,  67  ;  hunting 
with,  108;  author  takes  provi- 
sions to  prospectors  for,  121 

*  Judd,  Mr.,  76 

Jungles,  near  Free  Town,  6;  near 
Chimoia,  297 

Kafir-pox,  21 

Karroo,  the,  49-50 

Kasamas,  22 

Kenny,  Mr.,  286-288 

Kermode,  Mr.,  122 

Kettels,  Mr.  Charley,  246 

Khama,  king  of  the  Bamangwatos,  72 

Kimberley,  51-54 

diamond  mine,  52 
King,  Mr.,  122 
Kitchener,  General,  418 
Koodoo  antelope,  fine  specimen  killed 

near   the  Umfuli  River,  120; 

hunting  on  the  Angwa,  236 


Kopje,  the  hill  at  Salisbury,  119 

a  section  of  Salisbury,  240 
Kopjes,  isolated  rocky,  88 
Krohn,  Mr.,  134-1:35 
Kru-boys,  19-20 
Kruger,  Mr.  Paul,  175,  325 

Laager,  description  of  a,  73-74 
*Lamon,  Mr.,  339-340 
Land  question  in  Rhodesia,  307-308, 
413 

Langerman,  Mr.,  113 

*  Langford,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  339-340 

*  Law,  Mr.,  Salisbury  jailer,  254 
Lea,  Arthur,  170 

Legislative  Council,  the  formation  of 

a,  m  Rhodesia,  411 
Lemon  Creek,  game  plentiful  near, 

226-227 

*  Lendy,  Captain  C.  F.,  268,  385-386 
Leucadendrou  argentwn,  41 

*  Lindley,  Rev.  Daniel,  45 

Mr.  J.  B.,  45 

Lion,  followed  by  a,  136;  Pietratz's 
escape  from  a,  138-139;  man 
buried  in  carcass  of  a,  293-294 

Lioness  with  cubs,  hunting  a,  227-228 

Lions,  serenaded  by,  134,  135-137,  147, 
236-237  ;  Christofison's  night 
with,  138;  followed  by,  153-155; 
difficulty  in  securing,  237 

Litchfield,  Dr.,  82 

*  Livingstone,  Dr.  David,  61 

*  Lo    Bengula,  concession  obtained 

from,  44;  disputed  territory 
claimed  by,  72 ;  permission  to 
build  a  road  obtained  from,  76  ; 
messages  to  Pioneers  from,  76- 
77 ;  diplomacy  between,  and 
Pioneer  leaders,  85-86;  puts  up 
a  bluff,  130  ;  army  of,  264 ;  war- 
riors sent  by,  to  punish  Ma- 
shonas,  266 ;  flight  of,  276 

Loch,  Governor,  54 

Locusts,  a  pest  in  Rhodesia,  316-317 

Lo  Magondi's,  prospecting  at,  167 

Lone  Kop,  152 


426 


INDEX 


Long  Tail  Charley,  67,  251-252 
Ludwig,  Mr.  J.  A.,  11,  37 
Lundi  River,  88-b9 
Lynching,  attempted,  252-254 
Lyons,  Mr.  Alfred,  410 

Machia-ngombe's  viUages,  visit  to, 
191-206 ;  native  customs  ob- 
served at,  207-216 

*  MacKenzie,  Mr.,  249 

Macloutsie  River,  arrive  at,  71 

Mafeking,  6o 

Magondi  district,  286 

Maize,  12,  310 

Makabusi  River,  126,  318 

Makalaka  Kop,  Matabeles  repulsed  at, 
325-329 

Makalakas,  93-94,  95-96 

Malarial  fever,  prevalence  at  Free 
Town,  3 ;  prevalence  on  West 
Coast,  10;  escaping  by  taking 
precautions,  87 ;   author  pros- 

:  trated  by  38,  160,  205-206,  292 ; 
among  natives,  182  ;  effect  of 
drinking  with  regard  to,  187- 
188 ;  absence  of,  at  Umtali,  293 ; 
in  Rhodesia,  generally,  308-309 

Malays  at  Cape  Town,  41 

Mandy,  Captain  Frank,  64 

Manicaland,  English  occupation  of, 
164-167 

Manioca,  12 

Marendella's,  healthful    locality  for 

horses,  314 
Marriage  customs  of  Mashonas,  211- 

213 

Mashonaland,  plans  for  occupation  of, 
46;  rush  to,  162-163;  kinds  of 
soil,  311 ;  climate,  312-313 
Herald,  168 

Horse,  organization,  176-177; 
smoking  concert  for,  245-246 ; 
disbanded,  269 
Mashonas,  trading  with,  109-110,  118- 
119,  132-133  ;  fondness  for  meat, 
128-129,  149-150;  songs,  128- 
139;    unreliability,    137,  281; 


fondness  for  honey  and  larvae 
of  bees,  148,  156;  as  farmers, 
191-310  ;  domestic  life,  191-200  ; 
characteristics  and  customs  of, 
133,  207-216  ;  power  of  scenting 
meat,  231 ;  cowardly  nature, 
247-248,  279-280;  theories  re- 
garding origin,  258-259;  origin 
of  name,  261-262;  causes  of  re- 
bellion, 347-350;  as  laborers, 
395-396 

Massi  Kessi,  captured  by  English,  165 
Matabeles,  reports  of,  at  Cape  Town, 
46;  marauding  expeditions  of, 
84,  87,110-111  ;  Pioneers  antici- 
pate an  attack  from,  96-100; 
skerm  made  by,  109;  depreda- 
tions at  Hartley,  179;  meeting 
tipsy,  234 ;  history,  262-265 ;  first 
war  with,  266-276  ;  lack  of  intel- 
ligence, 274-275  ;  revolt  of  1896, 
causes  of,   32I-3'34;  Mashonas 
incited  to  rebellion  by,  346-347 
Matoppo  Hills,  341,  345;  peace  nego- 
tiations terminated  at,  381 
Mauch,  Mr.  Carl,  explorer,  265 
Maven,  327 ;  escape  of  scouts  at,  330- 
332;    flight  of   Matabeles  at, 
333-336 

Mazoe,  prospecting  at,  167 ;  first 
massacres  of  Mashona  rising  at, 
350 

M'Bundu  tribe,  21 
*  McGeer,  Mr.,  360 
Medicine,  administering,  to  natives,  24 
Meerkats,  59 
Meikle,  Mr.  Stuart,  291 
Menagerie  race,  408-409 
Menyamwada,  chief,  118 
Metcalf,  Sir  Charles,  336 
Methuen,  Major-General,  72 
^  Meyer,  Mr.  E.  W.,  326 
Midge,  African,  16,  28 
Mission  Station,  Bishop  Taylor's,  at 
St.  Paul  de  Loanda,  11 
work,  61,  401-402 
Modder  River,  50 


INDEX 


427 


Molele,    Wesleyan,    native  teacher, 

heroism  of,  369-370 
Molopo  River,  63 
Mondetonga  district,  158 

River,  145,  149 
Monkeys,  70,  86 

Montague,  Mr.  H.,  93-101,  104-108 
Montgomery,  Captain  F.  K.  L.  W. , 
leads  charge  against  Makombi 
natives,  373 ;  wounded  at  Mazoe, 
379 

Moore,  Mr.  C.  A.,  303 

*  Mosilikatse,  Matabele  king,  362-365 
Mosquitoes,  16,  38 

Mother  Patrick,  378 
Mount  Darwin  district,  167 

Domo,  337,  338 

Hampden,  114,  117 
Mountains,  Hex  River,  49 
Mourners,  native,  31 
Mozambique  Company,  164 
Museum,  United  States  National,  1, 303 
Muxima,  Fort,  10 

Nambandi  hills,  83 

Napier,  Colonel,  338,  341 

Natal  contingent,  363 

Natives,  unreliability  of,  5  ;  antipathy 
to  work,  30  ;  craving  for  liquor, 
34-35 ;  immodesty,  35  ;  lack  of 
curiosity,  37 ;  malarial  fever 
among,  183 ;  leniency  of  officials 
toward,  344-345 ;  bloodthirsti- 
ness,  349 

Navy-yard,  Brooklyn,  Pensacola  starts 
from,  3 

Neumeyer,  Mr.  Leo,  371,  343-344 
N'Gomo,  trouble  with,  385-386 
Nicholson,  Lieutenant,  83,  84 
Norman,  Mr.  Henry,  on  applied  mtel- 
ligence  in  America,  415 

*  Nortons,  the,  350 
Nugget,  The,  410 

O'CONNEL,  Mr.,  170-174 
Ophir,  Land  of,  43 ;  New,  303 
Orange  River,  50 


O'Reilly,  Captain,  373 

Orr,  C.  A.,  Mr.,  lands  at  Loanda,  11 ; 

joins  Pioneers,  45,  47 ;  returns 

to  Hartley,  159 
Ostriches,  114,  133 
Owls,  frightened  by,  18 
Ox-wagons,  travelling  in,  55-57,  393- 

393 

Palm  River,  71 

Pascoe,  Major  of  Salvation  Army,  353, 

353,356,  358,  361 
Pennefather,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  76, 

83,  85 

Pensacola,  United  States  Ship,  3 ;  of- 
ficers of,  3 ;  lands  at  Cape  Town, 
39 ;  sets  sail  for  home,  47 

Perkins,  Mr.,  172 

Pietratz,  Mr. ,  escape  from  a  lion,  138- 
139 

Pioneer  Expedition,  events  leading  to 
organization,  46,  364-365 
Mary,  395 

Pioneers,  author  joins,  48-49  ;  charac- 
ter, 49 ;  set  out  from  Cape  Town, 
49  ;  organization  and  equipment, 
54, 66-67 ;  Gov.  Loch  reviews,  54; 
work,  65 ;  rations,  65-66 ;  wages, 
66;  amusements,  67-68;  sham 
battles,  72  -  73 ;  precautions 
against  attacks,  73-75,  86; 
sporting  proclivities,  97  ;  end  of 
journey,  111-112;  rights,  119- 
120 ;  disbanded,  119-130  ;  hard- 
ships, 158-159, 161-163 

Pirates,  the,  334 

Pleuro-pneumonia,  313 

Plumer,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  342,  381 

Police,  Bechuanaland  Border,  60,  63  ; 
71,  77 ;  British  South  Africa 
Company,  46,  71 

Portuguese,  salt  works,  12-13;  treat- 
ment of  natives,  13-13,  25,  26 ; 
Angola,  43  ;  clash  with  English 
over  Manicaland,  164-167;  early 
occupation  in  South  Africa,  360- 
261 


428 


INDEX 


Providential  Pass,  99 

Pungwe  flats,  game  on,  300 

Pungwe  River,  Major  Forbes  advances 
to  the,  165 ;  journey  in  steam- 
boat on,  301 

QUIFANDONGO,  13 

*  Raaff,  Commandant,  272 

Racouty  River,  228 

Railway,  Beira.    See  Beira  Railway 

Chemin  de  Fer  Royal  Trans- Afri- 
cain,  11-12,  15 

Bechuanaland  from  Mafeking  to 
Bulawayo,  319,  419 

Mashonaland,  419 

Trans-Continental,  414,  419 
Rainy  season,  140,  312 
Ramoutsa,  70 

Ranching,  author's  experiment  at,  291- 
292 

Rand,  Dr.  Frank,  160,  178,  298 
Rebella,  Senhor  Joao,  19,  26,  27,  31 
Reedbucks,  127 

Rhinoceros,  killed  and  skinned  by 
Pioneers,  121-123  ;  cockney  pros- 
pectors kill  a,  223-224 ;  author's 
first,  224-226;  Mr.  Arthur 
Eyre's  white,  228-231 

Rhodes,  Mr.  Cecil,  secures  concession 
from  Lo  Bengula,  44  ;  Pioneers 
"rough  it  "  on  the  farm  of,  51- 
52 ;  instrumental  in  amalgama- 
ting diamond  mining  companies, 
53 ;  visits  Salisbury  in  1891, 175; 
buys  sp'^cimen  of  white  rhinoce- 
ros, 230-231  ;  received  by  Boers 
at  Enkeldoorn,  325  ;  during  bat- 
tle at  Maven,  336 ;  visits  Salis- 
bury in  October,  1896,  409-410 

Rhodesia,  as  an  agricultural  country, 
303-320,  413  ;  parts  suitable  for 
Europeans,  308  ;  years  of  pros- 
perity, 318-319;  products,  310- 
311 

Herald^    established,     168;  on 
American  ironmongery,  415 


Rinderpest,  313,  314,  320 

Rixon's  farm,  340 

Road  cutting,  79,  80,  82 

Roan  antelope,  on  Mashonaland  plat- 
eau, 101 ;  on  Gwibi  flats,  114 ; 
near  Dichwe,  233 

Rogers,  Mr.  William,  173,  178 

Rolker,  Mr.,  172 

*Routledge,  Mr.,  354,  363 

Royal  Charter,  44,  45 

Rudd-Rhodes  Concession,  44,  264,  265 

Ruins,  ancient  Portuguese,  on  Angwa 
River,  235 ;  prehistoric,  257,  258 ; 
Arabian,  70 

Sable  antelope,  description  of,  81 ; 
hunting,  on  "Old  Chapman," 
108-109;  on  Gwibi  Flats,  114; 
killed  with  unreliable  gun,  169 
Saint  Paul  de  Loanda,  7-10 

Thomas  Island,  7 
Salisbury,  position  of,  102,  311-312; 
early  history,  174-175,  239-240 
Fort,  111-112,  159-163 
Column,  324 
Horse,  269,  272,  273 
Hospital,  378 

scouts  fall  into  ambuscade,  365 
Salt,  natives  extracting,  from  marsh 

grass,  227 
Salthouse,  Mr.,  -^54 
Salvation  Army  farm,  362 
San  Miguel,  Fort,  7 
Sarua  River,  131 

Sejoke's  stronghold,  attacked  by 
scouts,  366 

SelouR,  Mr.  F.  C,  Pioneers  arrive  at 
camp  of,  75 ;  guides,  expedition 
to  Mashonaland,  77,  79  ;  inter- 
views Makalakas,  80,  81  ;  names 
Providential  Pass,  99 ;  sets  out 
to  visit  Umtasa,  106  ;  interviews 
Umtasa,  164 

Seventh  Hussars,  381 

Shangani  River,  274,  276,  338 

*  Sharp,  Granville,  philanthropist,  4 

*Sheppard,  Mr.,  125-126 


INDEX 


429 


Shiloh,  276 

Shimmin,  Rev.  Isaac,  lion  adventure, 
223  ;  views  on  native  labor  ques- 
tion, 393 

Shooting-race,  408 

Sierra  Leone,  4 
Company,  5 

Silver  tree,  41 

Sing-soDgs,  67,  68 

Sinoia,  223 

*  Slater,  Mr.  Edward,  117-118 
"Smelling  out,"  22 
Smithsonian  Institution,  78 
Sofala,  301 

"  Southeasters,"  39 
Spreckley,  Colonel,  66, 122,  842 

Mr.,  353,  356 
Spring,  appearance  of  country  in,  107 
Springbuck  antelope,  57,  58 
Stage-coach,  travelling  by,  292,  293 

*  Stanford,  Mr. ,  122 
Steinbuck  antelope,  50 
*St8ven.s,  Mr.  C.  T.,  223 

*  Stevenson,  Mr.,  146 
Stier,  Mr.  W.  K,  151,  152 
*Stoddart,  Mi.,  353,  356 
Surrage,  Mr.,  102,  121 
Swamps,  near  Coanza  River,  19 
Swan,  Mr.  B.  M.  W.,  257 


Tsetse  flies,  annoyed  by,  151 

fly,  the,  314-315 
Tukwe  River,  95,  97,  98 
Tuli,  Fort,  76,  162 

River,  76,  79 

Umfcli  gold-fields,  prospecting  in, 
167 ;  concession  to,  264 
River,  110,  133,  142 
Umgusa  River,  342-343,  381 
Umjojo,  a  trip  to  his  village,  192-206 
Umnyati  River,  207 
Umshabetsi  River,  82 
Umsweswi  River,  146,  148,  149 
Umtali,  secured  by  English,  166-167  ; 

beauty  of  surroundings,  292-293 
Umtasa,  native  chief,  164-165 
Umzing^vani  River,  82 

Van  Eck,  Mr.,  108,  109 

Reit,    Mr.   William,   lost  forty 
days  in  the  wilderness,  376-378 
*  Van  Stadden,  361 
Victoria,  Matabeles  marauding  near, 
266-267;  natives  assist  whites 
in  war,  273-274 
Fort,  101 
Rangers,  272 
Voortrekkers,  113-114 


Tabas  Imamba,  345,  381 
Table  Bay,  39 

Mountain,  40 
Tati  gold-fields,  264 
Taungs,  60 
Taylor,  Captain,  327 
Tchechemni,  234,  277 
Tchininga,  283-286 
Teak  forests,  316 
Todd,  Professor  David  P.,  10 
Trans-continental  Railway.    See  Rail- 
way 

Telegraph  Line,  419 
Tsessebe  antelope,  seen  on  Maahona- 
land  plateau,  101 ;  stalking,  on 
G\y\h\  flats,  11.5-117 ;  killing  a, 
near  Umfuli  River,  134 


Walker,  Mr.  John,  102,  110 
Walking  match  among  Pioneers,  61-63 
Wallace,  :Mr.  Friday,  161 
Wambe,  247-248 

*  Ware,  Captain  Henry,  337-338 

*  WaiTen,  Mr.  68 
Wart-hog,  143,  169-171 
Washington,  Mr.  Booker  T.,  391 
Waterbuck,  123.  124,  136,  147 
Wells,  Sergeant,  367 

White,  Captain.  2.53-254,  363,  382 

Doctor,  38 
"  White,  Mr.  James,  370 
White  ant,   the,  in  Rhodesia,  315- 
316 

*  Wilberforce,  philanthropist,  4 
WUd  dogs,  171-172, 190 


•  Deceased. 


480 


INDEX 


Wild  hogs,  149 
Wildebeest  Farm,  58 
Willoughby,  Major,  76,  101 

*  Wilson,  Major  AUen,  272,  276 
Witchcraft,  condemning  for,  22 
Witch-doctors,  Mashona,  213-216 
Wylie.  Dr.,  376 

*  Yates,  Captain  A.  R.,  3 


Zambesi  valley,  309 
Zareba,  79 

Zebras,  BurcheH's,  on  Gwibi  Flats, 
114-115;     shooting,  133-134; 
flavor  of  meat,  134 
Zimbabwe,  257-258,  261 
Zimbo  River,  141,  148 
Zimmerman,  Mr.,  352,  356 
*Zulu  Jim,  249-255 
•  Deceased. 


